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Don't let rain stop play on your cover
Bad weather has caused misery for flooded householders, so make sure your policy is up to scratch if you're at risk, says Alison Steed
Flash floods last week brought more misery to hundreds of people across Hereford and Worcester and a major clean-up operation is now under way both there and in Yorkshire, which was hit by flooding the previous week.
Around 13,700 insurance claims are made each year thanks to flooding, and in the past week alone, the cost of repairs to flood-damaged properties are estimated at £25m by the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Malcolm Tarling of the ABI says: "The average flood claim can be anything between £20,000 and £30,000. Three inches of flood water can cause extensive damage, and if the damage is bad enough, you may have to find alternative accommodation. Around 570,000 homes are at high risk of flooding, which is double the figure back in 2002. The risk is getting worse."
The increasing number of homes being built on floodplains is adding to the potential misery faced by thousands of people. Since 2002, around 800 developments have been sited in areas that are a high risk of flooding, against the advice of the Environment Agency.
The Government's planned development areas - the Thames Gateway, Ashford, the M11 corridor and the south Midlands - contain 108,000 homes on floodplains, which could increase the financial costs of flooding by an average of £55m a year.
Insuring properties at risk of flooding is not necessarily a simple process, even though there is an agreement between the insurance industry and the Government to maintain cover for properties that would otherwise be potentially uninsurable. The ABI wants the Government to spend an extra 10 per cent each year on flood defences, although last year there was a £14m reduction in the amount spent, which Tarling says was "not a good sign".
However, even if you are insured, maintaining that cover after a flood will be more costly. In general, if you have been flooded once, you are unlikely to see a significant rise in your premiums, says Tarling. But if it is something that happens regularly, your premiums will go up. How much precisely that will be depends largely on the damage caused, and how likely it is that a flood will happen again.
Mary Dhonau, the co-ordinator of the National Flood Forum, said she had known some cases where the excess on a policy had gone as high as £30,000 where there is a repeat flood risk.
Unlucky victims will be out of their properties for around six to nine months on average. But some of the people hit by the floods in Carlisle are still not back in their homes more than two years later, thanks to the poor workmanship of cowboy builders who turned up to take advantage of the situation.
Doors were not closing properly, washing machines were falling out of worktops, and Victorian buildings constructed originally with high-quality materials were put back together with inferior products. It meant that although some families have been able to move back into their homes, they have had to move out again to repair the repairs.
Dhonau says that one of the worst cases she heard of was when someone knocked on the door of a house being plastered by a tradesman, and asked if he could watch what he was doing. When the plasterer asked why, he was told that the man was plastering the house next door the day after, and wanted to find out how to do it.
To help prevent such horror stories, some insurers, such as Halifax Home Insurance and Direct Line, will help you to find tradesmen to put your home back together if you have suffered a flood. Although you may pay extra for this facility - around £4 a month with Halifax - it could save you a lot of heartache in the long run. It will extend to repair other damage at short notice, such as storm damage or burglary, to make your property safe.
Getting the cheapest policy is not always the best idea, as the real value of insurance will only become apparent when you try to claim.
Homeowners living in flood-risk areas need to be more rigorous than others when it comes to insurance. You need to check the exact details of what their buildings and contents policies cover as well as the limits and excesses on both. The advice to those living in flood-risk areas from experts is to get a policy sooner rather than later because insurers are less likely to withdraw cover if your situation deteriorates.
If you are at risk, there are a number of things you can do to help yourself. The National Flood Forum now has a section on its website at www.floodforum.org.uk which outlines details of products that are designed to prevent flood water entering your home.
Dhonau, who put th is part of the website together, says: "For example, there is a big bag you can put your settee into if you cannot get it upstairs, so that it can float. There are door boards and air-brick covers."
Her particular favourite is an air brick filled with balls which rise on the water to block the holes and restrict flood water, but then fall back as the water recedes so the air brick does its job properly.
If you cannot afford such measures, there is still plenty you can do to minimise the damage.
Prasad Shastri, the head of insurance marketing at Abbey, said: "If you are expecting flooding, protect as many of your belongings as possible by moving them upstairs. If you can, use sandbags to prevent water coming into the home. Make sure that your house has both contents and buildings cover and that the insurance is adequate and will cover any flood-related damage that might occur.
"Buying your home insurance based solely on price may seem like a good idea, but it may also leave you with poor cover and at risk of being underinsured. If this is the case you may end up paying more in the long run for not having enough cover when you come to make a claim."
Around 257,000 household claims are turned down every year because properties are underinsured, according to Abbey. If you are unlucky enough to be hit by a flood, make sure yours is not one of them.
If your home has been flooded
- Ensure mains supplies of water, electricity and gas have been checked by a qualified engineer before reconnecting.
- Dry out appliances that have been affected by flood water and ensure a qualified electrician or Corgi-registered gas engineer inspects them before use.
- Open doors and windows to ventilate and dry out the property. Your home should be completely dry before you attempt any redecorating work.
- Contact your insurer and report any damage caused to buildings and/or contents as soon as possible.
- Take photographs of damaged items as it could help your insurer to settle a claim.
- Keep any ruined property as insurers might want to inspect it.
Sent: 04/07/2007
Email us direct at: repairs@londonheatingservices.co.uk
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