Obtaining Flood Insurance For Homes That Are At Risk

by David Adams CEO of the Hard To Insure group

Roughly five million homes around England are at risk of flooding. These properties can be difficult to insure, but there are specialist insurers who will be able to help. There are also steps you can take to reduce your premium, and reduce the damage that would occur if a flood were to happen.

If your home is situated in a flood area or on a flood plain then you will find it difficult to find insurance. This can be incredibly frustrating, but you should know that it will be possible to get the cover that you need through a specialist insurer – these companies help individuals and businesses to get the sufficient insurance they need if they have unusual circumstances. In addition to those that live in flood areas, these insurers will help to find insurance for homes with a subsidence history, listed buildings, high value homes, homes undergoing renovation and unoccupied buildings.

Flooding is a serious threat in England, and this has been particularly true in the last year where there has been frequent heavy rain across the country. There are over five million homes in England that are at risk from flooding, a large figure but not one which will surprise anyone who followed the coverage of the winter floods this year. All of these households may find it difficult to secure home insurance because regular insurers will see these houses as higher risk. The homeowners need home insurance in case disaster were to strike, and for this they will need to turn to a specialist insurer which will be able to help to get them covered.

If your home has been affected by flooding before or if the property you are buying has then you will certainly need to turn to one of these insurance specialists. You can find out if your property is in an area that is at risk of flooding by visiting the Environment Agency’s website and looking at their flood maps, which assess the likelihood of flooding to your property from rivers, the sea and other water sources. When you discuss flood insurance premiums with a specialist insurer you may be able to reduce the amount you are paying if you take certain measures to protect your home in case of flooding. A few examples of the measures that you can take include installing flood-proof doors and windows, sealing wooden floors or replacing them with concrete flooring and making sure electrical outlets are raised over a metre above floor level.

It is thought that there will be more flooding in the near future in England, so you need to ensure that you have the protection you need in case your home becomes damaged. In addition to this and taking measures to reduce the damage, it is also possible to minimise flood impact for when is forecast too. This can be achieved by using sandbags to hold back water, rolling up your carpets and rugs, covering electrical goods with sealable bags and switching off your water, gas and electricity.

Flooding can cause misery and disaster, but if you find that you live in an area deemed a flood risk there are things you can do. You can find specialist insurance which will see you covered, and there are also plenty of steps you can take to reduce flooding damage.

http://www.hardtoinsure.co.uk/personal-insurance/your-home/flood-area-zone