Rebecca Saunders: As winter approaches, we need to start thinking about how our clients can prepare for the events they may potentially encounter, all of these types of conditions they will encounter, and any preparations we can help them with.

Tanya Bellamy: So it’s no surprise that we see an increase in the volume of weather-related claims during the winter months, whether it’s storms or other weather events in the UK. So we’ve seen more (weather-related) claims on commercial properties this year so far than we’ve seen in 2023. But this is mostly due to the named storms we had in January of this year. Our main claim in terms of cold weather and freezing events is that water escapes as a result of burst water pipes. We typically see a 75% increase in the volumes of these claims since the last incident. Of course, it all depends on how widespread the weather event is.

Rebecca: Yes. And we see from the damage to the buildings, from the snowfall, that there is not the heavy snowfall that could potentially be there. Then you start looking at the damage that this does to all the buildings, the roofs, and making sure they’re not bending, they’re not collapsing, because that can happen. All Louvre systems can of course freeze, and of course pipes, especially sprinkler systems, can be affected by frozen weather. So again, there are things customers can do to prepare their buildings for this. They ensure that repairs that need to be made in buildings are carried out before the winter season.

Tanya: That’s why I talked about the impact of widespread flooding. And so (Storm) Babet affected the whole of the UK and we saw a significant amount of claims just on commercial property. We had 124 and that’s not to mention directly on our ledger which will be much higher than that. But compared to the weather events I mentioned earlier, which were five events in December ’23 and January ’24, among which we only received 55 claims, but that’s because they were more specific to their respective regions.

Rebecca: Yes, you are right, we see that flooding can be localized but also occurs up and down the country in general. And I think some of the problems we’re seeing are due to facilities being flooded. This means that inventory and all the supplies they have can leave people unable to fulfill orders. It can have such a negative impact on the business. While we can’t eliminate the risk of flooding, what we can do is ensure our customers are prepared for it. So things like checking with the environmental agency, understanding what the weather is going to be like, and seeing if a flood kit is available. So things like fresh water, wellies, any clothing that will keep you dry. Having a plan in place is a huge amount of preparation that they can do, but not just having that plan, but making sure that they can execute it and that it works. Non-return valves and the like will help prepare the facility for the risk of flooding. Also making sure your gutters and valleys are kept clear of debris because the amount we see there is staggering. Watching the weather, making sure you understand what weather conditions are coming, and also just thinking about your utilities. So what to do in the event of a power outage I would like to reiterate that being prepared is always the key to good risk management.

Tanya: We are also seeing an increase in our motor vehicle claim volumes as a result of hazardous driving conditions. Particularly in ice, rain and snow, when a third party is not always involved, unfortunately we often see quite serious accidents involving soaring into buildings and trees.

Rebecca: Yes, of course, driving in the winter is very different from driving in the summer when there are good, clear conditions. And you know some trips, if they’re a long trip, you can go from very clear to suddenly foggy to suddenly icy. That’s why you should prepare for the entire journey ahead. And there’s a little acronym we use for general checks throughout the year. These are the FORCES. So F is fuel, making sure you have plenty of fuel in your vehicle for this trip and knowing there may be delays. It is for oil. Checking your oil is right in your car. You don’t want engine failure because of this. R is rubber. Namely, windshield wipers and tires. So in general, 1.6 millimeter tires are good for your tread, but in winter you should look for more than three millimeters. C is for coolant, so in bad weather you might be stuck in traffic queues where you sit. Again, we don’t want the engine to overheat. E is for electricity and especially if you have an electric vehicle, make sure the battery is fully charged because during the winter months an electric vehicle’s battery will drain much faster than it should. throughout the summer. Your lights are on, your heater is on, so that’s important. And the last one, S, is your screen wash. So we all know that if there’s sand on the roads and the windshield is really dirty, you need to keep it on to get a good view.

Tanya: This is a great reminder. We are also seeing a real increase in volumes in slip, trip, fall and liability claims. Both employer liability and public liability claims during the winter season. We are seeing a lot of claims coming in for slips, trips and falls at outdoor events, especially as the festive season is approaching and the New Year period is approaching, there is also additional demand on their business and staff shortages at that time. Sometimes it’s really important to make sure things like security, cleanliness, and those roles aren’t forgotten.

rebecca: So yes, slips, trips, and falls are, as you said, common causes of injuries that we see, especially during the winter months. And I think it’s not just about the person who’s injured and the impact of that, but also for the business, as you said and extended, they’re already short-staffed and there’s also the bad publicity that can happen. get out from behind this. So there are things they can do, and especially our commercial customers, to put up signs to make sure their customers can see that there may be a potential problem with skidding here. Of course, the cleanliness of the buildings, the first areas they enter and the parking lots they use. So make sure they’ve prepared the kits for that, the cleaning kits, that they can deploy those, and that the staff is well prepared, they need to get going on that pretty quickly.

Tanya: We still see cases of underinsurance. So I think we need to work together to make sure that our clients get the right level of cover, but also the appropriate level of indemnity periods for business interruption claims, to make sure that we protect the financial risks for both the client and the client. insurance company.

Rebecca: Yes definitely. This is something we see on the field as well, Tanya. You know, as you said, underinsurance impacts in many different ways. Therefore, we have expert partners we work with who can help our customers in this regard. Likewise, there is a lot of other information on our website about the tools we use and which can help us support our customers throughout the winter period and beyond; these are available on the ARMS website.

Tanya: Yes, this is really interesting. And I think from a claims perspective we also ask: After discussing all the things we talked about today, I think our customers should have a request to notify us of the claim in a timely manner, in the unfortunate event that it happens, to avoid any delays. and actually provide some quality information about what’s going on, the circumstances, and contact information for all stakeholders who need to be contacted throughout the request so that we can deal with this issue as quickly as possible.

Rebecca: And I think you know, prevention is very important, right? If we can prevent these things from happening in the first place, that’s a great thing for our customers and keeping them safe. Thank you for joining me, Tanya. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this and talk about how we can support our customers.