As the country continues to be affected by adverse weather conditions, Post Office Insurance is on hand to help homeowners who have been impacted.
Paul Havenhand, Head of Insurance at Post Office, comments: “With storms continuing to cause problems across the UK, we want to reassure our customers that we are here to help. Our 24-hour claims line means we always have a team of experts on hand to provide support and enable those affected to register a claim. We’ve also increased the number of staff in call centres, ensuring more people are available to assist during this stressful time.
“Storm and flood damage to a property can cause distress and, depending on its scale, some homeowners may find that they have to make temporary living arrangements whilst damage is repaired. Our aim is to get homeowners back in their properties as soon as possible.”
In the event of flooding or storm damage:
- Contact the Post Office helpline as soon as possible on 0845 073 1005; a home assistance service comes as standard with all policies which can advise you on the next steps, and can help put you in touch with local tradesmen
- Where possible, do not remove any items from the property as it is important that your insurer can assess the damage
- Following flooding or damage to your property, do not use gas or electrics until they have been checked by a qualified tradesmen
- If possible, take photographs of any damage to the property. This will prove useful when making a claim
- Put undamaged items in a safe place
- Listen to your radio for updates and any further flood warnings. If further heavy rain is forecast, ask your local council for sandbags to help protect your property
- If you are moving to alternative accommodation, make sure that you have secured your property, locking all doors and windows and boarding up any gaps
- If you are remaining in the property and providing it is safe to do so, open windows to ventilate your home
- Don’t forget to look after family pets as they can become disorientated in the upheaval and may stray from home.
- There are precautionary steps homeowners can take to batten down the hatches ahead of further storms this autumn and winter. Inspect the outside of your home to ensure that there are no potential hazards – stormy weather can bring down tree branches and so check these have been pruned back to limit the risk of damage to property
Existing insurance customers affected by the storms can contact the Post Office on 0845 073 1005 for assistance or to register a claim.
Post Office has also increased capacity in its call centre to assist with the increased number of calls.
