On May 23rd 2011 the side wall of my garden which faces on to a road was blown down by a wind gust.

Initially they said that they take the wind speed at Farnborough, which is approximately 15 miles from where I live in Bracknell was only measured at 41mph

and therefore the wind could not have blown the wall down.

Initially they said that it has to be greater than 45mph and subsequently changed this to 47mph.

I explained that this did not take account of wind gusts and was also measured some 15 miles away,

to which they said can I prove the wind gust.

They then told me to get a builder to take a look at the wall and give a cause of damage report, which I did.

He stated that the wall was well constructed and that there was no other reason why the wall should have come down.

He also said that he had seen other damage from the wind in the area.

I also told them that I had obtained from a website a record of the wind speed in Farnborough at 46mph.

They still say that the wind was not strong enough to blow down a wall.

I also pointed out that the weather forecast for the day gave warnings of severe storm and wind conditions.

I also told them that nowhere in the policy does it state that the wind has to be at a particular speed for them to pay out.

They said it is not policy and no one includes it.

I thought the policy was a contract!

hi rom

Welcome to CAG

The guys will advise as soon as they are available.

Thread moved.

For the wall to be covered, there needs to be evidence of storm force winds and that the wall was in a good state of repair before it collapsed.

This is the same for all Insurers. If you have proof of other damage in the area, a report from the nearest weather centre about wind speeds over the whole 24 hr period and a builder confirming storm damage (not poor repair) was the cause, then make a complaint. After 8 weeks if they cannot resolve, pass it to the FOS to deal with.

Be aware that Insurers like to argue the toss with such claims. I have seen a post about a wall claim that BRIT are dealing with, that has taken 2 years and has gone to the actual ombudsman to review.

people people..... having worked insurance... heres the things...

Going back a number of years, storm damage, water ingress due to heavy rain was standard on a policy.....

Then the insurers got greedy..... policies never droppped but they added extra t&c's to contracts.

Now the measure the rainfall and wind speed at the closest weather station....... and only if it was as bad there will they pay out....

In all of this, the insurers started bringing out emergency covers costing £60-£100 per year, which also covered roofing damage etc....

However here the trick is they dnot check the weather stations....... im sure the person who thought of this initailly got well rewarded by the insurers, cos they pay less out on their main policies, but sucker us in to paying for these emergency covers which were covered up til a load of years back as standard!!

This same scenario has been on BBC Watchdog a number of times over the last few years.......

Another good example is most comp car policies used to cover courtesy car... now the bulk you have to pay extra!!

One aspect of my complaint is that I see the policy as the contract between me and the insurance company, but nowhere does it say any thing about or state a minimum wind speed.

By making the their definition of a storm vague and ill defined in the policy, it gives them more opportunity to refuse.

This policy was arranged through The AA, so BUYERS BEWARE.

One aspect of my complaint is that I see the policy as the contract between me and the insurance company, but nowhere does it say any thing about or state a minimum wind speed.

By making the their definition of a storm vague and ill defined in the policy, it gives them more opportunity to refuse.

This policy was arranged through The AA, so BUYERS BEWARE.

Hope this FOS link helps. http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/storm-damage.html

Spend some time on the FOS site, by searching for cases involving storm damage, as you may uncover cases that may help. Insurers don't always automatically apply any FOS rulings, when they deal with all future such claims. The FOS helpline is quite helpful to consumers if you have a query, as this may guide you in how to take a complaint forward.