How to receive compensation after a storm surge

You will be notified by your insurance company about whether you can receive compensation. Notification will be given when your insurance company has assessed all necessary information in the case from sources including you and the loss adjuster.

If you are entitled to compensation, you will also be notified of the size of the compensation. You may receive part of the compensation immediately. However, you will only receive the rest of the compensation when you have submitted documentation that your damage has been repaired. Your insurance company will be able to give you guidance on this.

If there have been many storm surge damage claims, a few months may well pass before your insurance company has decided whether you are entitled to compensation.

There are some losses/costs for which you will receive compensation:

• Indirect loss, for example operating loss
• Consequential damage, for example subsidence damage
• Real estate and movable property, if you generally (for example with several insurance companies) have the option to take out insurance against damage caused by storm surge, i.e. also if you have not taken out such insurance in these special cases
• Real estate and movable property, where you have an insurance policy that covers the damage
• Movable property in basements and rooms below ground, unless the basement is approved for residential use (maximum DKK 120,000)
• Soil
• Salt damage to crops
• Real property that is outside a dike
• Dikes, coastal protection and any other form of protection against the water
• Harbours, quays, wharfs, bathing jetties, etc.
• Gardens and movable property located in gardens
• Boats, dinghies and similar which are in the water or located on the shore or coastal protection or any other form of protection against the water
• Trailers, caravans, trailer tents, containers, huts and similar and movable property located in them
• Bathing huts and similar located on the shore or coastal protection or any other form of protection against the water
• Kiosks, shops, sales outlets and similar businesses located on the shore or coastal protection or any other form of protection against the water
• Movable property located on harbours, quays, the shore or coastal protection or any other form of protection against the water
• Animals, except for animals farmed in aquaculture
• Movable property that belongs to a business enterprise and is located in the enterprise's storage buildings or similar buildings, unless it is placed at least 10 cm above floor level or the ground

If your submitted claims are covered by the list above, your insurance company will reject your claim.

If you are unsure whether a claim may be covered by the negative list, contact your insurance company.

Before you can receive compensation for part of the damage caused by a storm surge, the damage must have been repaired. Here you can read more about how you can have the damage repaired.

You must ask for a quotation if you want to have a tradesman repair the damage. The quotation must correspond to the loss adjuster's description of the damage to be repaired. If the quotations you receive are considerably more expensive or cheaper than the amount fixed by the loss adjuster, you must contact your case officer before accepting the quotation.

Remember to keep all invoices from tradesmen. They are required if compensation is to be paid.

If you want to repair the damage yourself, you must tell the loss adjuster. This may be, for example, if you want to be responsible for clearing up and cleaning yourself.

If you carry out some of the work yourself, you must remember to keep receipts for purchases of materials. They are required as documentation when any compensation for the work is to be paid out.

In addition to the cost of materials, compensation is paid for DIY work at a rate of DKK 100 per hour, and you receive payment for 25 % more hours than a tradesman would have spent on the same work.

If, during repair, the damage turns out to be more extensive than was assessed in the loss adjuster's statement, you must contact your case officer at the insurance company, who will assess whether it is necessary to inspect your damage again.

When the loss adjuster's report has been completed, it is possible to rearrange the items if the rights holders of the property give their consent.

For example, if it turns out that the painting work is cheaper than assumed in the statement, you can transfer the amount to other work. Consequently, you can receive compensation for more expensive building materials than those that were damaged if you save money on other items in the damage statement. The compensation is based on the materials and building methods that are normally used at the time of the claim.

Contact your case officer at the insurance company if you are in doubt whether you are entitled to receive compensation.