Home Insurance - property within 200m of flood plain but property has never flooded!

carolinehulse84

Hi,

My boyfriend and I are currently in the process of purchasing a property and the property is within 200m of an area that is prone to flooding. However, the house has never flooded and it is actually on a hill anyway so the likelihood of it ever actually flooding is negligible. But it appears that a lot of insurance companies will not insure you if you are this close to a flood plain - is that right?

Basically on the Environment Agency website we are not in the section that will actually flood or even in the light blue part that may flood with extreme flooding - we are just within 200m of that area.

So on an insurer's website where it has an assumption of
Your property has not been damaged by flood and is not in an area liable to flood

Can I say yes to this question - the property has never flooded and it's not in the flood area - is this how it works?

So basically I am wondering if there is anyone who is in a similar situation who could recommend any insurers who will insure the property.

Thanks

dunstonh

But it appears that a lot of insurance companies will not insure you if you are this close to a flood plain - is that right?

That is not correct. I'm about the same distance to a flood risk area and about the same to the sea. Never had a problem.

Postcodes tend to go down to the 6th digit to work out risk. So, they can pretty much tell if you are on the hill or in the flood area.

an I say yes to this question - the property has never flooded and it's not in the flood area - is this how it works?

You should always answer the questions exactly in the way they are worded. Different insurers will use different wording so dont assume the question is always the same. If it was worded like that you would say no on both counts.

So basically I am wondering if there is anyone who is in a similar situation who could recommend any insurers who will insure the property.

You are only going to have a problem if you are in a high risk area and have flooded before. It doesnt sound like you are so you should have no problems with most if not all insurers.

carolinehulse84

Thanks for your reply.

So to the statement:

Has not been damaged by flood and not in an area liable to flood.

Would I be correct in being able to agree to this statement since my house is not in the actually flood area just simply within 200m of the area.

jack_spratt_2

Each company has there own system to work out the risk to them !! if you are really having a problem with obtaining insurance find out from the seller of the property you are buying and ask who provides cover for them !! most companies will continue the cover to the new purchaser.
It is important to read the questions and answer them exactly to how the question is phrased .
I myself have asked for a quote from the company who likes to make you happy :Dand they said they would have to refer it to the underwriting section despite I have never had a problem with getting insurance because we are near a flood plain .
Try the co-op insurance( CIS)in Manchester its a bit hit and miss with insurance companies they may be able to help you

dacouch

I would recommend you try Norwich Union as they have their own data for each house in the UK. They sourced this by having a plane fitted with a special radar fly over the uk. They can tell whether your home is likely to flood from your post code and house number. Its so accurate they could say for instance they would cover your home but not your nieghboors

(I do not work for Norwich Union)

With regard to use if the word "Area" it is normally deemed as in your road as the Insurers would not expect you to know surrounding roads. However if your home purchase reports mention flooding it would be reasonable to expect you to report this so you should then report it to them
#
Hope this helps

sarah_elton

Other insurers do this - not just Norwich Union.

The database that insurers use was improved in the last few years to go down to the house level, rather than just postcode level. My mum works for an insurer (not Norwich Union) and she looks up houses for me in areas I think about buying in.

If you're not sure about questions, just phone the insurer to do the quote rather than do it online. You don't to risk giving what they later classify as false information as they can then say your policy was invalid from inception.

dacouch

sarah_elton wrote: »

Other insurers do this - not just Norwich Union.

The database that insurers use was improved in the last few years to go down to the house level, rather than just postcode level. My mum works for an insurer (not Norwich Union) and she looks up houses for me in areas I think about buying in.

If you're not sure about questions, just phone the insurer to do the quote rather than do it online. You don't to risk giving what they later classify as false information as they can then say your policy was invalid from inception.

You are right other Insurers have the information as they bought it from Norwich Union, I only quoted Norwich Union as I know they definately use is as a lot of Insurers still rely on the environmental agencies website which is no where near as accurate (I do not work for Norwich Union I'm a broker).

I also agree with your other point simply ring the Insurer and check they are happy with your post code. I strongly recommend you ask for the person you speak to name preferably at the start of the conversation. Then write it down along with the date and time and if you ever have a problem with the Insurer if you did need too claim for a flood and they deny knowledge of your call you can quote the persons name, the time and date of the call and they can listen back to the call.