Does your home insurance pay for rain, storm and flood damage?

Heavy rain falls under storm or flood in the wordings below. The exclusions decide most disputes.

Is storm and flood damage covered?

Yes, in the wordings below. Liva lists “Storm or Flood” as an insured cause for both buildings and contents.¹ GIG Gulf lists “Storm and flood” in its buildings and contents sections.² QIC’s 2016 wording lists “Storm or Flood”.³ Tokio Marine’s page lists “Storm & Flood” among its covered events.⁴

After the rain of April 2024, the Central Bank of the UAE said that homes are covered “if there is an insurance policy against loss and damage”, and that owners of homes or buildings “covered by insurance are entitled to have their property repaired from damages caused by the recent rains and weather conditions”.⁵

What do the wordings exclude?

Two other terms matter after heavy rain.

• Water getting in through openings. QIC’s accidental damage cover excludes “damage caused by water entering the Home regardless of how this happened”, and refers you to its other covers for the water damage it does pay.³ Liva excludes damage “caused by water entering your home through an opening made for the purpose of alterations, additions, renovations or repairs”.¹
• Upkeep. Liva makes it a condition that you keep the property “in a sound condition and good repair”, and says loss caused by not doing so is not covered.¹ Blocked roof drains and worn seals are the kind of thing an adjuster will look at.

What should you do before heavy rain?

• Move belongings off the floor and in from balconies and gardens. Liva, GIG Gulf and QIC do not cover contents in the open against storm or flood.¹²³
• Clear roof and balcony drains if they are yours to maintain.
• Photograph rooms and valuables, so you can show their condition before any damage.
• If you are buying a policy because rain is forecast, ask whether it has a waiting period for weather damage.

What should you do after storm damage?

1. Make the home safe and stop further damage. Keep receipts for emergency work.
2. Photograph and video the damage, the water level and the source, with dates.
3. Tell your insurer in writing as soon as you can. Under the 2025 Civil Transactions Law, a term that removes your right because you were late reporting the event to the authorities or sending documents is void if the delay had a valid excuse (Article 958).⁶
4. Keep damaged items until the insurer has seen them or agreed you can dispose of them.
5. If you rent, tell your landlord in writing. The building is theirs to repair.

The Central Bank’s April 2024 statement urged the public “to carefully read and comprehend the insurance policy” and to approach Sanadak, the financial and insurance ombudsman, with any complaint.⁵ Sanadak takes complaints about insurers licensed by the Central Bank after you have complained to the insurer first.⁷ See how to complain about a home insurer.

What happened in April 2024, and how much insurers paid, is in the April 2024 floods and home insurance.