In light of recent reports of damage to homes and commercial
properties following adverse weather conditions, landlords are
being advised to take action by leading business insurance broker,
Swinton Commercial.

The firm aims to reinforce the importance of having the correct
insurance policy to protect businesses against structural damage to
their commercial premises.

Adverse weather conditions can severely impact upon day-to-day
business and landlords are being asked to consider protection for
stock damage and business interruption.

Commercial property owners can also take simple precautionary
measures to protect their premises and livelihoods against adverse
weather fronts:

  1. Ensure all staff are aware of opening up and closing down
    procedures. Failure to lock up your premises properly could result
    in significant amounts of damaged goods;
  2. Consider using shutters to protect windows and doors against
    strong gales and sandbags to guard against mild flooding;
  3. Back up important computer data on computers and store
    off-premises overnight to avoid a book debts claim;
  4. Secure IEE Certificate for the premises as storms can result in
    electrical fires. Most commercial property insurance policies will
    require proof of the electrics being certified before they pay out
    in the event of a claim.

Jolene Shaw, technical referral advisor at Swinton Commercial,
said: "Many business owners don't think about how the weather can
affect their business until it's too late.

"That's why it's so important to have the right insurance policy
in place. Failure to do this could result in owners dipping into
their savings or profits in order to pay for repairs.

"This has been known to cause significant damage to business
profits, and in extreme cases resulted in bankruptcy."

—