A finished building can stand up to the weather – a half-finished one is at its mercy. An open floor slab, a stripped-back roof, freshly poured concrete, a pipe running in an open trench: at every phase of construction there's a point where a downpour or a gust of wind can cause disproportionate damage. That's why natural-catastrophe losses are a permanent fixture at the top of the CAR claims statistics.
- Storm, cloudburst, hail, lightning, snow, flood: CAR typically covers these – subject to protective measures being taken.
- The insurer expects what's also good contracting practice: watching the forecast, temporary protection, and fixing things down.
- Flood/inland inundation and earthquake are typically a matter for a separate endorsement – it depends on the site.
- "It could have been prevented" is the most common point of dispute – a documented storm protocol is the answer.
The typical loss patterns
Storms attack open structures and scaffolding (details: storm article); a cloudburst floods the excavation pit and the basement; hail smashes freshly laid insulation; frost damages fresh concrete and exposed building services; snow loading burdens temporarily propped structures. These aren't exotic risks – several of them turn up in an average construction season.
What does the insurer expect?
Wordings typically hold you to good contracting practice: watching the weather forecast, scheduling daily work so the structure can be left in a closable state, temporary covering and sheeting, fixing down scaffolding and light elements, and keeping dewatering equipment on standby. These aren't insurance extras but site-management routine – which is exactly why they can be held against you. The daily checklist: loss prevention on site.
Site-dependent endorsements
Exposure to flood and inland inundation is a matter of location: for a riverside or low-lying site, cover may come with separate conditions, deductibles or limits. Earthquake cover is likewise an endorsement matter. That's why the site's characteristics need to be described precisely before inception – the comparability of quotes depends on it too: comparison table.
At claim time: fast and documented
The first steps after a natural-catastrophe loss: loss mitigation (stopping further water ingress – this is also expected of you), dated photos and video, saving the weather data, then notifying the insurer's claims line. Meteorological service records can be decisive in a dispute. The full process: claim notification + documentation checklist. That way, a natural-catastrophe loss stays what it should be: an inconvenience, not a catastrophe.
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