46 metres from a river

22johnny22

I am planning to buy a house which is 100 years old+ and standard construction etc.

It has never been flooded but is located 46 metres from a river.

Will this have an unhealthy affect on insurance premiums? I am not sure what a standard wording asks in terms of distance.

thanks in advance.

Johnny

kingstreet

I can't recall a question about distance from a river on the app forms of any of our insurers. They usually ask something like this;-

Is the property in an area free from flooding?

To be on the safe side, you may wish to send a copy of your solicitor's Environment Agency report to your insurer.

agrinnall

kingstreet wrote: »

I can't recall a question about distance from a river on the app forms of any of our insurers. They usually ask something like this;-

Really? I found it very common when I had to look for house insurance earlier this year, including on the policy that I bought (although mitigated by the fact that the river level is considerably below that of the house so there is zero risk of flooding).

Mr_K

Have a look on the EA site. They have maps of floodplains/risks.
http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?x=357683.0&y=355134.0&scale=1&layerGroups=default&ep=map&textonly=off&lang=_e&topic=floodmap

*Scarlett

There are insurers who will ask about the distance from a body of water. But increasingly they just want to know about previous flood history.

Have you done any quotes with the postcode of the new house?

If it's a flood risk area you will soon find out!

Otherwise just answer the assumption questions regarding this and you'll be ok.

Insurers who want to know about proximity of water may still consider cover if there is no history of flooding but there could be a higher flood excess.

thenudeone

Some insurers DO ask about distance from a river, but although it rules out some insurers, it's still possible to get a decent quote if you live near one, as long as there is no history of flooding.

thor

I think the comparison sites like to ask if a house is within 400m of a river which suggests that some insurers could have that tucked in the small print somewhere.

*Scarlett

thor wrote: »

I think the comparison sites like to ask if a house is within 400m of a river which suggests that some insurers could have that tucked in the small print somewhere.

So if you are searching on comparison sites you would need to input "yes" you do have a body of water within a certain distance.

You will still get quotes (unless you are in a bad flood area).

When you go through to the insuers website check the assumption questions carefully. If in doubt ring them to confirm - they will normally honour online prices for a policy taken out over the phone.