The right insurance for hail damage
29 May 2020, text: Hansjörg Ryser, photo: Deposit
Hail, storms and floods cause hundreds of millions of francs in losses in Switzerland every year. Hail damage becomes a threat again in the spring and summer when storm clouds gather. While these storms often only last a few minutes, their effects can be devastating. Farmers are not the only ones exposed to the destructive effect of hailstones. SMEs and private individuals can also be affected, including hotels with parking lots, garage forecourts with cars and others as well.
Place under cover, close the shutters
Anyone acting with foresight can avoid damage. If a thunderstorm is approaching, put everything you can and want to protect in a covered area. And don’t forget to close the shutters! For nurseries and farms, the best prevention is to build facilities and buildings entirely from hail-resistant materials.
The right insurance cover
But physical protection alone is often not enough. Additional insurance solutions are needed to be adequately protected against the financial consequences of hail damage. While building insurance – mandatory in most cantons – covers damage to buildings, vehicles are insured against hail damage through partially comprehensive cover. Various insurance companies, including Helvetia, offer repair services for damaged cars after such storms in the affected regions. With suitable business insurance, you can then insure your movable assets and any business interruption accordingly.
The special case of agriculture
Nurseries and farms are affected particularly hard by hail damage. An entire year’s sales can be lost if crops are destroyed. In the first instance, cultivated areas of two hundred square metres or more can be insured against the financial consequences with Swiss hail insurance policies. Even weather protection systems fall under the relevant insurance cover. There are also specific solutions for nurseries, especially for the various effects on crops. And these operations as well as other SMEs may need more extensive insurance cover in some cases.