In cases of storm damage to the house, car and garden

The thunderstorm season has picked up speed – and the first cases of damage have already occurred. Who actually pays when the basement fills up with water, when the new solar system is damaged or hailstones ruin the bonnet of your car? The following are some of the most important questions and answers regarding storm damage.

When there’s a storm, and it pours with rain and lightning is flashing in the sky outside, there can be damage to the house, the garden or the car. There can be many forms of damage: flooding, fallen trees or hailstones. PilatusToday has compiled the most important answers about the consequences of storms.

Which damages due to natural events are covered by insurance?
According to the insurance expert Eduard Heldin, the three natural hazards hail, storm and flood are regarded by the insurance industry as natural hazards, i.e. natural events that can cause damage, and a total of nine hazards are included among the insured natural hazards in Switzerland: high water, flooding, storm, hail, avalanche, snow pressure, rockslide, rockfall and landslides.

Which insurances can you take out if, as a house or apartment owner, you want to be prepared for storms?
On the one hand, there is the natural hazard insurance (Elementarschadenversicherung), which must be included in the fire insurance (Feuerversicherung), said Eduard Held in an interview with the "NZZ". The scope of cover and premium rates are regulated by law, and are uniform and binding for all private insurers.

In many cantons, the cantonal building insurance companies (kantonalen Gebäudeversicherungen) have a monopoly position for buildings, while private companies take over their insurance in others. This means that virtually all buildings in Switzerland are insured against natural hazards. Building insurance is particularly relevant for homeowners.

Cantons without cantonal building insurance are the so-called ‘Gustavo cantons’. They include Geneva, Uri, Schwyz, Ticino, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Valais and Obwalden. In these cantons, buildings can be insured against fire and natural hazards with a private insurance company.

How can items in and around the house be insured?
In addition, there is the household contents insurance (Hausratsversicherung). In most cantons, these are offered by private insurance companies and insure virtually all the contents of the buildings. They are therefore also important for tenants, and include a natural hazard insurance component.

Is a natural hazard insurance worthwhile in cantons where it is not mandatory?
According to Eduard Held, it is definitely worth it, as natural hazards occur again and again and the damage potential is enormous. They can be seen as a kind of precaution in the event of damage . Thanks to the double solidarity, that within the population and through the natural hazard pool, and also that between the insurance companies, the premium is also affordable for the policyholders: people who live in a high-risk area pay the same premium rate as people who live in a place where natural hazards occur statistically less often and to a lesser extent.

What damage caused by thunderstorms is covered by the insurance?     Photo: Daniel Hegglin

What about vehicle insurance? Is storm damage covered by your comprehensive insurance?
Probably. According to the "Beobachter" magazine, the comprehensive insurance (Kaskoversicherung) of your vehicle will pay out if the storm reaches a speed of 75 kilometres per hour or more and thereby represents a so-called elementary event (Elementarereignis). Depending on the policy, the insurance company may only be liable for the current value of the vehicle.

My photovoltaic system on the roof was damaged by a gust of wind. Does the mandatory building insurance cover the damage?
Yes, if a wind speed of 63 kilometres per hour was reached, the cantonal building insurers usually extend the policy for natural hazards to include photovoltaic systems (solar systems). They are only liable, however, if an application for this has been made in advance. At best, it also makes sense to take out supplementary insurance (Zusatzversicherung) if you want to cover damage that goes beyond fire and natural hazards. It is thereby well worth checking exactly in which cases the insurance will not pay.

A garden chest belonging to my neighbour was blown through the air, and crushed the wooden fence at the property division line. Can I hold my neighbour liable?
If he/she is to blame for the damage, he/she can be held liable. This would be the case, for example, if your neighbour recklessly ignored weather warnings and violated his/her duty of care. An example: If the neighbour has recently set up an unsecured chest on his/her property and does absolutely nothing despite the apparent danger, he/she can be held liable for the damage to your fence.

What if a person is injured by the garden chest?
The owner is also liable here if, as in the case described, he or she did not take reasonable precautions .

I rolled up the sun blinds on the balcony of my rental apartment because a storm had been predicted. They were nevertheless damaged. Do I have to pay for them myself?
No, certainly not. According to the "Beobachter" magazine, you are only yourself liable if you are responsible for the damage. This would be the case, for example, if you did not roll up the blinds despite a storm warning. If the storm was so strong that it is considered force majeure, the case is again different: tenants are not liable for the damage – even if the sun protection was left rolled out. But you will have to prove that the storm was more than 75 kilometres per hour, however. And, which is much more difficult to prove: that the damage would have occurred even if you had behaved correctly.

We are building a house. Parts of the scaffolding were blown away by the storm, damaging windows and parked cars. Does the building insurance cover this?

Yes, the (mandatory) building insurance, which is called Construction Period Insurance (Bauzeitversicherung), will take over the costs in such cases, including during the construction period.

What steps should a policyholder take in the event of a claim?
It is important that private insurance company or the cantonal building insurance is contacted quickly following the damage. There is also a requirement to avoid any consequential damage (Folgeschäden). In addition, insured persons can also contribute to this by employing suitable prevention methods and by keep possible damage, and thereby ultimately the insurance premiums, low through suitable structural and technical measures.