Home Insurance shocker!? (flood risk)

Sammyantha

It seems that many MSE users are unable to answer a question if it was posted with some hint of (justifiable) anger. For simplicity's sake, I shall simply ask:

Please can you recommend a home insurance provider (for contents only) who will consider homes which are (apparently) at risk of flooding?

Thank you

Plans_all_plans

Is the flat built on a flood plain? Ground floor I take it? If so then yes, you could be at significant risk of flooding.

I have no experience of getting home insurance on such a property, so can't recommend a company unfortunately.

Good luck and hopefully someone more knowledgable will be along shortly.

ETA: in terms of whether it's your fault or not: if you've bought the flat then there are searches you/your solicitor can do to tell you the flood risk. If you're renting, then asking the landlord/previous tenant about any flood risk/problems with getting insurance etc might have been an idea (easy to say with hindsight, I know!!)

dacouch

Try Aviva or Zurich for a quote

dunstonh

Are we?????? And if so, how the hell is that OUR fault?

Its not More Thans fault either.

And with respect, it is your fault as you bought the home (assumption you bought it as you said home insurance rather than just contents). So, you should know if its on a flood plain or not. The information on "at risk" areas is published and its the sort of thing your solicitor can find out if you pay them to do the full searches. It is possible that your postcode straddles some land that isnt at risk and some that is and you are on the safe bit. Its also possible that the risk is low (like a 1 in 200 year event level).

If you paid for the searches and your solicitor didnt warn you then you may wish to bring this up with them if you find the link posted by Selden shows your property in a risk area. If you didnt pay for the searches and didnt do your own checks then its very much caveat emptor.

clairecymru

Our flat is in a "flood risk area" but we had no problems getting insurance with legal and general for £10 a month. This may be because we only need contents insurance because the buildings insurance is paid for by the management company and we are on the second floor.

Sammyantha

Selden wrote: »

A good starting point is the Environment Agency's mapping sytem. .....

Are you looking for buildings or contents cover - or both? And has the property previously been insured?

Yup been there, and it seems we are (now).

Looking for contents only. Not sure if previously been insured but doubtful as most of the tenants were here less than 6 months.

Plans_all_plans wrote: »

Is the flat built on a flood plain? Ground floor I take it?

Nope, and nope. However, it seems that we are *Now* classed as high risk (i'm imagining because there is a river on the other side of town lol)

dunstonh wrote: »

If you didnt pay for the searches and didnt do your own checks then its very much caveat emptor.

We rent. That's not the sort of thing you think of when finding somewhere to rent - higher on the list of priorities was a good location, and price. Didn't say it was the insurers fault, i know they are covering their own backs.. but did you know that over half of the UK's homes are now at risk of being uninsurable simply because insurance companies have jumped on the rather convenient "flood risk" bandwagon due to the floods in the last few years. Not their fault no, but certainly not in their customer's best interests.

clairecymru wrote: »

Our flat is in a "flood risk area" but we had no problems getting insurance with legal and general for £10 a month. This may be because we only need contents insurance because the buildings insurance is paid for by the management company and we are on the second floor.

Fab thanks, will try them, along with the other suggestions

dunstonh

i know they are covering their own backs.

No. They are covering the backs of other policyholders and the shareholders and the re-assurers.

but did you know that over half of the UK's homes are now at risk of being uninsurable simply because insurance companies have jumped on the rather convenient "flood risk" bandwagon due to the floods in the last few years. Not their fault no, but certainly not in their customer's best interests.

Have you got any evidence to support that? (either part of your comment).

Sammyantha

see below.

dacouch

Coughs....Zurich and Aviva

Sammyantha

Thank you to those who could see past the pretty obvious red haze i was in when i posted, and have given helpful advice To the others.. helpfully pointing out where someone may be missing the/a point is fine, but to jump on something for arguments sake (Not to mention not answering the question), is just plain ignorant. There are plenty of threads where posters are happy to tear each other apart over every misdemeanor.. i do not intend this to be one of them. If my comment offends, then please, feel free to move on by. Or by all means carry on as you are, and make yet another MSE user feel as though they have to walk on egg shells, and actually, is there really any point in posting at all....

No please.. don't comment on that... really.

Any more suggestions of home insurance providers who may consider flood risk homes are very welcome. Tomorrow I shall call the ones already suggested. Thank you :beer:

Sammyantha

dacouch wrote: »

Coughs....Zurich and Aviva

Thanks dacouch - i had noticed your answer, hence why i thanked it just after you posted. I generally speak to more than one or two insurance providers when looking for quotes however, so was interested to hear of any more suggestions