Insurance pay out after flooding

frenchy28

Hi does anyone know how long it will take to for the insurance company to pay out after a flood? and what are people with no money expected to do in the mean time?

dacouch

If you contact your Insurers, they will start making arrangements on your claim immediately. Have a pen and paper to hand so you can write down the answers and ask specific questions eg can I arrange my own emergency accommadation and if so to what price etc.

Ask them how much they will contribute towards food per day, bear in mind it will be a relatively small amount as you would have had to pay for food if you were at home. It may be worth trying to get a self catering type room.

If you're in a area that has experienced a lot of flooding, there may be a lot of competition for emergency accomadation so don't hang around with arranging it. There could also be a massive demand for their loss adjusters in your area so there may be delays in them coming to visit you.

Make a note of the name of the person's name you speak to and the date / time.

They will generally pay for an average hotel to start with.

They will assess the damage to the home and then work out the costs to repair it / replace the items and then start with the work / replacement when it's possible.

So the first thing to do will be to ring your Insurers asap

frenchy28

thanks for the info.

it's not for me it's for my mam but i'm trying to get things sorted out for them

frenchy28

sorry just one more thing, what does contents insurance cover and what does building insurance cover.

I know the basics but with regards to decorating am I right in thinking that re-plastering and decorating with be classed as contents insurance and only main structural integrity work will be classed as building insurance?

Thanks in advance

shellsuit

frenchy28 wrote: »

sorry just one more thing, what does contents insurance cover and what does building insurance cover.

I know the basics but with regards to decorating am I right in thinking that re-plastering and decorating with be classed as contents insurance and only main structural integrity work will be classed as building insurance?

Thanks in advance

No, that would be covered by building's insurance, not contents.

frenchy28

cheers shellsuit, didn't realise that, gonna be a nightmare because the contents and building insurance are with 2 different companies so hope the dont start being funny about things.

Quentin

frenchy28 wrote: »

gonna be a nightmare because the contents and building insurance are with 2 different companies ....

Why will it be a nightmare?

The only problems that having separate policies brings is having to make 2 claims, and possibly having extra excess to pay. Though they accepted that when deciding to have separate policies - maybe the premiums worked out cheaper doing it that way?

InsideInsurance

As a basic rule of thumb, if you were able to pick the house up, turn it upside down and shake it, what falls out is contents and what stays in is buildings.

Having two separate companies can add a bit of extra hassle because they may both want to send loss adjusters etc but it is rare to have issues of disputes on if something is actually contents or buildings etc.

Different insurance take different approaches to "emergencies". Some are much more proactive and assuming there are no issues with indemnity they can send interim payments to tied you over or will settle direct with suppliers. Others are more old fashioned and want claim forms, paid invoices etc and then reimburse afterwards

frenchy28

thanks inside insurance, good to know that 'rule of thumb'

will hopefully get things dried out and moving pretty quickly to minimise the disruption as much as possible.

Cheers for the help and advice guys (& gals)