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Aviva has advised homeowners to take precautions to safeguard against the gales forecast at the end of this week.

The insurer has a network of contractors, claims teams and call centre staff ready to assist those who are affected by weather-related damage in the next few days.

Property Claims Director Rob Townend explained that storms and gales are covered as standard by home insurance policies.

Damage caused by storm force wind and rain, including the costs of moving out temporarily, are all covered by insurance.

Aviva advises homeowners to park cars in garages, away from trees, secure and lock down all loose objects outside (such as bikes and garden furniture) and to make sure all doors and windows are fastened.

In addition, the insurer advises checking for loose tiles on the roof and making sure aerials or satellite dishes are secured.

Yesterday Legal & General issued advice regarding combating winter weather, including lagging pipes and tanks and leaving the heating on to help prevent burst pipes.

Choosing a suitable car insurance provider can be a tricky process given the proliferation of different companies out on the market. How exactly can you know whether or not a provider is going to offer you the services that you require? Well, there are several things that you need to be doing. Here are some tips on how you can make a sensible choice.

It is first important to make sure that there are no complaints against the company and that it doesn’t have any legal problems associated with it as well. You can do this by going to the better business bureau. Here you should be able to gather together plenty of information on the company in order to help with your decision.

Online resources are very useful for this purpose as well. S

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The vogue for increasingly expensive baby buggies has sparked a new crime wave, according to Halifax Home Insurance.

Thefts of baby strollers have almost doubled in the past year, which the lender claims is fuelling a black market worth around £60 million

Sales of buggies costing over £500 having increased by 40% over the past 12 months and Halifax points out high re-sale values make these items a prime target for opportunist thieves.

The research also suggests that criminals are stealing specific models, with the Bugaboo Bee Plus (worth £459), Silver Cross 3D (£250), Quinny Zapp (£150) and the Maclaren Techno XT (£196) among the most sought after models.

Most thefts appear to be taking place from inside the home (22%) or just outside (11%), while car parks, cafés and restaurants are other buggy-theft hotspots.

Meanwhile buggie-price inflation is forcing almost a quarter of parents to buy second-hand, mainly from online auction sites, or from friends and family.

Halifax Home Insurance head of underwriting, David Rochester, comments: “It may seem surprising that thieves would stoop so low, yet it appears the increasing value of baby buggies has caused parents to become a target for thieves.”

He adds: “We recommend all new parents make sure buggies are safely secured when stored in the home, and not left visible in porches or driveways where they can be easily stolen as they are on wheels, enabling a quick getaway.”

Despite the high value of buggies, almost a fifth of parents questioned were unaware whether their pushchairs are covered under their insurance policy if stolen from inside the home, while a fifth didn’t know if they’re covered if the pushchair is stored outside.

Health insurance is just one of those things. While you might think that having health insurance protects you from all related health problems and incurring costly medical expenses, this is not always the case. Your doctor may have a way of trying to cure an illness or accident, but it is up to your health insurance company to determine whether or not they are willing to pay for such treatments.

Now surely you will want to follow your doctor’s advice since they are the person that you are entrusting your health to but there are many treatments and health care issues that lie beyond the surface of your health care plan. E

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AXA home insurance has revealed that the week of Halloween and Bonfire Night is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the worst for malicious damage insurance claims of the entire year.

AXA urges homeowners to be on their guard at this time of year, as it has seen a huge surge in malicious acts during this week over the last few years.

Saturday appears to be the worst of days during the week, with the highest claims of the year (three and a half times the daily average).

A wide range of damage occurs, including egging of windows and tearing down of fences and letterboxes for use as bonfire fuel.

Amanda Edwards of AXA home insurance has stated that Bonfire Night is a lot of fun but a minority use it as an excuse to behave irresponsibly, and urged homeowners to be vigilant.

London may be particularly susceptible to criminal acts this year, as the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) is planning strikes from the 5th to the 7th of November, drastically cutting coverage in the city.

The impact of reduced public funding for flood defences will demand a more innovative approach to managing flood risk, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has warned.

Only £2 billion has been allocated by the Coalition Government for flood defence investment over the four years from 2011 to 2015, compared with £2.15 billion by the previous government, over the three years from 2008 to 2011.

David Balmforth, who leads ICE’s work on flooding comments: “While we welcome the Government’s recognition of the importance of maintaining the UK’s investment in flood risk management, we would have liked to see the level of funding more adequately reflect historical investment.”

The Institution is also concerned that current investment in addressing sewer flooding may not be maintained in future water company spending plans.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has already responded to the future flood defence budget, saying that a long-term plan to tackle the flood risk faced by the UK over the next 25 years is “urgently needed”.

The ABI has also pointed out that the Statement of Principles on Flood Insurance comes to an end in 2013.

The Statement was agreed between ABI members and ministers in 2007 and broadly contained a promise by insurers to continue to underwrite flood risks in return for investment in the UK’s flood defence network.