WENDY KNOWLER: How to avoid having your storm damage insurance claim rejected
Many of these claims are rejected by insurers on the grounds that the damage was due to gradual deterioration rather than a specific weather event.
House Damaged By Floods / Image: Supplied
CapeTalk's Pippa Hudson interviews consumer journalist Wendy Knowler and HouseCheck Executive Chairman John Graham.
Listen below:
Storms can cause a great deal of damage to properties and differ seasonally depending on where you live in South Africa. In the Cape, storm-related insurance claims tend to spike during the blustery winters.
However, insurers reject many of these claims on the grounds that the damage was due to gradual deterioration—often from poor maintenance or substandard construction—rather than a specific weather event.
This was the case for Palesa, who experienced disaster just one day after moving into her new home.
First, the back wall collapsed, allowing water to flood in and destroy the remaining boundary walls. Water surged into the house, reaching up to one metre high in some rooms.
Despite the extensive damage, the insurer rejected the claim, citing that the walls had not been constructed according to building regulations.
Graham explains that most home insurance policies don't check the condition of your property when you sign up.
Instead, an assessor usually only comes out after you make a claim.
"It's very unfair on the homeowner."
- John Graham, Executive Chairman – HouseCheck
To protect yourself, he advises maintaining thorough documentation—photographs, inspection reports, and maintenance records—that proves the condition of your property before any incident occurs.
For long-time homeowners in particular, Graham recommends regular maintenance inspections.
Key risk areas such as roofs and gutters should be checked to ensure they are intact and free of blockages.
While inspections may come at a cost, he says that conducting one every two years can significantly strengthen your case should you need to file a claim related to weather damage.
"Don't let the insurer point the finger at you and say lack of maintenance."
- Wendy Knowler, Consumer Journalist
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.