Question on comparison site : is your property within 400m of a watercourse. Yes I do.

Yorkshire_Pud

Also I live near the top of a very steep hill. Never been flooded.

So whilst this questions answer will no doubt push the premium up why is there no nuance to the question I am forced to give? 

Almost as stupid as the many questions about types of locks. I’ve got three possible  ‘main’ entrance doors all with different locks and security arrangements, one’s got a three lever lock (insufficient) but two big barrel bolts on the inside.

It all makes insurance a lottery where you are going to be caught out for the smallest mistake in their 100% rigid reporting requirements.

dunstonh

So whilst this questions answer will no doubt push the premium up why is there no nuance to the question I am forced to give? 

If you want nuance, then use a broker.     Online sites are there for speed and simplicity.  Not for nuances.

However, if you are using a comparison site, just because you are asked the question doesn't mean your chosen insurer considers the answer.  Some may, some may not.

Almost as stupid as the many questions about types of locks. I’ve got three possible  ‘main’ entrance doors all with different locks and security arrangements, one’s got a three lever lock (insufficient) but two big barrel bolts on the inside.

We also have three main doors, and you have to assume any of them is treated as the main door.   That one is more common sense.

It all makes insurance a lottery where you are going to be caught out for the smallest mistake in their 100% rigid reporting requirements.

If you are having problems going DIY on this, then use a broker to protect yourself. 

mr_stripey

tbh I've often wondered about this question too. I mean there must be a huge amount of properties (perhaps the majority) that sit within 400m of a river, stream, brook, canal or whatever.

My own house sits within metres of a stream but is not prone to flooding as the land on the other side of the stream is the flood plain.

I assume the insurers have detailed flood maps so surely these would be more useful in their decision making rather than an arbitary 400m ?

mark_cycling00

It might just be a data item that then tells the insurer that they need to ask you more specific info once you complete the quote with them. 

I remember being asked for precise distance plus elevation above the water course when starting a quote from comparison sites. 

Used a broker in the end but for other reasons 

MyRealNameToo

mr_stripey said:

tbh I've often wondered about this question too. I mean there must be a huge amount of properties (perhaps the majority) that sit within 400m of a river, stream, brook, canal or whatever.

My own house sits within metres of a stream but is not prone to flooding as the land on the other side of the stream is the flood plain.

I assume the insurers have detailed flood maps so surely these would be more useful in their decision making rather than an arbitary 400m ?

I the good old days, before my time, insurers would send their pricing out to brokers in the form of a book, the broker would price using it. If the customer bought it was then posted off to the insurer who'd check the calculations and issue a certificate assuming the broker hadn't made an error. Insurers even then may have had detailed flood maps but the thousands of high street brokers didnt, though they did have local knowledge!

Certainly go to a direct insurer these days and they can quickly run an address through nat cat modelling software  that will consider risks like flood or windstorm. Probably why some dont bother asking the question any more. There will be some intermediaries that dont refer directly to the insurers for pricing but haven't invested in software/servers to do thousands of cat modelling runs a day and rely on more basic Q&As

We live on the Thames so have to answer "yes" to the question when asked, the last time it happened was on the phone to the insurer and pointed out that there offices were only 1.5 miles away from us and on lower ground so if we're flooded they are in a much worse state than us. 

TELLIT01

Back in 2007 there was major flooding in our general area.  No problem anywhere near us, but my in-laws property was in the same postcode as houses which did get flooded.  They were lumped in with them, and premium rose massively.  The fact that they were on a hill didn't seem to matter to the insurers.

mr_stripey

MyRealNameToo said:

mr_stripey said:

tbh I've often wondered about this question too. I mean there must be a huge amount of properties (perhaps the majority) that sit within 400m of a river, stream, brook, canal or whatever.

My own house sits within metres of a stream but is not prone to flooding as the land on the other side of the stream is the flood plain.

I assume the insurers have detailed flood maps so surely these would be more useful in their decision making rather than an arbitary 400m ?

I the good old days, before my time, insurers would send their pricing out to brokers in the form of a book, the broker would price using it. If the customer bought it was then posted off to the insurer who'd check the calculations and issue a certificate assuming the broker hadn't made an error. Insurers even then may have had detailed flood maps but the thousands of high street brokers didnt, though they did have local knowledge!

Certainly go to a direct insurer these days and they can quickly run an address through nat cat modelling software  that will consider risks like flood or windstorm. Probably why some dont bother asking the question any more. There will be some intermediaries that dont refer directly to the insurers for pricing but haven't invested in software/servers to do thousands of cat modelling runs a day and rely on more basic Q&As

We live on the Thames so have to answer "yes" to the question when asked, the last time it happened was on the phone to the insurer and pointed out that there offices were only 1.5 miles away from us and on lower ground so if we're flooded they are in a much worse state than us. 

Exactly - I'm sure the flood modeling maps are pretty accurate (well I know they are where I live, based on the Environment Agency maps). Lived in this neighbourhood for 50+ years and can categorically say that if my house were to flood then that would mean that most of Leicestershire would be under about 20 metres of water!

MyRealNameToo

TELLIT01 said:

Back in 2007 there was major flooding in our general area.  No problem anywhere near us, but my in-laws property was in the same postcode as houses which did get flooded.  They were lumped in with them, and premium rose massively.  The fact that they were on a hill didn't seem to matter to the insurers.

Depends how insurers are doing things, using the likes of RMS its individual properties its capable of dealing with. If they arent using live mapping software then even doing the 1.8m postcodes individually is impressive. Outside of major cities postcode sector may be a more realistic level. 

user1977

I'm not sure how many people have a great idea of what 400m is, never mind the presence of any watercourses possibly several streets away. 

I've lived within 400m of a river prone to flooding - but on a street about 50m higher than the river, and in a second floor flat. Still deemed too risky for the Halifax. 

MyRealNameToo

user1977 said:

I'm not sure how many people have a great idea of what 400m is, never mind the presence of any watercourses possibly several streets away. 

If we are talking rivers, large lakes etc then most should have an idea, I'm sure most who have a smart phone will have opened Google Maps or similar whilst at home and seen the big blue thing on the map. Maybe need to be a bit more tech savvy to measure or guesstimate the distance 

No doubt there could be some silly little thing that may not show up on maps but then it's not going to show up when the insurer checks either. 

user1977

MyRealNameToo said:

user1977 said:

I'm not sure how many people have a great idea of what 400m is, never mind the presence of any watercourses possibly several streets away. 

No doubt there could be some silly little thing that may not show up on maps but then it's not going to show up when the insurer checks either. 

The flood maps show relatively small watercourses which might not be very obvious in an urban environment (tucked away behind other properties, etc). The answer would be "yes" for both of my childhood homes, but that would be a stream which is culverted for much of its length through town.