Contents insurance for apartment, flooded or not?

lindos90

Wanting contents insurance on a first floor apartment. I believe the building was flooded some years ago (only affecting properties on the ground floor). When getting Insurance quotes online, it asks if the property has ever been flooded. I'm not sure if 'the property' in this case would just refer to the specific apartment, or to the whole building. My other half says it's referring only to the specific property and not to complicate matters by mentioning the flood, but I'd like to make sure as I wouldn't want it to be used as a reason to decline a claim, if it is ever required. Would it be best to deal with a company that I could talk to, to clarify, rather than online quotes, or is the question definitely refering to the apartment only, not the building?

marcia_

 IMO it refers to the individual property, that what your insuring not the whole building 

user1977

I wouldn't bet on insurers applying common sense to this (once had contents insurance turned down because I was close to a flood-risk river - the fact I was in a second floor flat, and even the street was about 100 feet above the river, didn't persuade them...)

lindos90

user1977 said:

I wouldn't bet on insurers applying common sense to this (once had contents insurance turned down because I was close to a flood-risk river - the fact I was in a second floor flat, and even the street was about 100 feet above the river, didn't persuade them...)

User1977, was it your application to buy insurance that was turned down, or your application to make a claim? Believe it or not, this first floor flat is in a very similar situation near a river! Apparently though the flooding that happened wasn't from the nearby river, but from some issue with blocked drains during a very heavy downpour of rain, and was draining away into the river! Apparently the drainage was improved after that, so it shouldn't happen again!

user1977

lindos90 said:

user1977 said:

I wouldn't bet on insurers applying common sense to this (once had contents insurance turned down because I was close to a flood-risk river - the fact I was in a second floor flat, and even the street was about 100 feet above the river, didn't persuade them...)

User1977, was it your application to buy insurance that was turned down, or your application to make a claim?

The former. Just the Halifax which rejected it, other insurers didn't seem to have any problem with it.

lindos90

user1977 said:

lindos90 said:

user1977 said:

I wouldn't bet on insurers applying common sense to this (once had contents insurance turned down because I was close to a flood-risk river - the fact I was in a second floor flat, and even the street was about 100 feet above the river, didn't persuade them...)

User1977, was it your application to buy insurance that was turned down, or your application to make a claim?

The former. Just the Halifax which rejected it, other insurers didn't seem to have any problem with it.

Fab, thank you, I'll make sure to mention this to him.

eddddy

lindos90 said:

Would it be best to deal with a company that I could talk to, to clarify, rather than online quotes, or is the question definitely refering to the apartment only, not the building?

If you want... you can get online quotes, but before you hit the 'buy now' button, you can phone the insurer, give the quote reference number, explain the situation and ask if you're ok to go ahead and buy.

The call should be recorded - but double check that with the agent - and they might also give you a call reference number or similar, if you ask. And/or keep a note of the date/time of the call and the number you called from.

That way, if there's any dispute later, you can remind them what was said on the call, and direct them to the recording.

If they confirm in the call that everything's OK, you can then hit the 'buy now' button.