getting insurance once being flood victim?

A question about : getting insurance once being flood victim?

Hi, we have recently been the victims of flooding in Hull. This was NOT due to a river or stream but a combination of lack of drain cleaning by the council (admitted to massive cuts), a freak weather system stuck over the area for days and also Yorkshire Water pumping station breakdown in our immediate area.

A friend of mine in a nearby village not directly affected by flooding,ie, it didn`t come in his house, has tried to renew cover this week and has been declined by most companies despite not having to claim. He eventually secured with his current insurers but had to pay through the nose (Ј1000).

Has anyone been the victims of flooding for similar reasons and if so how do you go about getting insurance?

Do you think the council/YW have any case to answer for our ongoing penalties each year in having to fork out 5 times as much for ins??

Best answers:

• Are we the only flood victims on this great island of ours then?? Come on folks, give a little advice in my time of need, pretty please.
• Most insurance companies will work on postal codes when determining their premiums.
  If your postcode has been affected then yes expect a hefty increase at renewal and expect a lot of companies of not offering you any cover if you attempt to move company.
• I found difficulty getting cover as I lived in cumbria when they had mega floods 2 years last january, it was a 1st floor flat so hardly likely to get flooded! but I was refused simply by my post code, eventually I managed to get to speak to a head of department and got covered (though for twice as much as I pay now Ive moved out of a flood risk area)
• Hi K-HKR
  Like you I live in Hull (Chants AV), got flooded on the 17th June. 6 inches of water in a ground floor flat. Everyroom was the same. Just got back from a holiday to find the flat had 4 feet of water the second time. Cannot get hold of the loss adjuster who visited after the first flood, you have more chance finding rockinghorse s**t than a builder at the moment.
  Dread to think what I will have to pay next year.
  Iv'e been on the phone to the local council only to be told if your not a council tenant and have insurance tuff.
  At the moment the people who have no insurance are getting all the help.
• Hiya Sage, we too were on hols and came back to find we had had 2" right through downstairs. Live on Sutton Park. Luckily my dad had been in and cleaned up etc but still left with the damage. Chemdry been today and done assessment as it was classed as `blackwater`. Basically it is plaster off right thru to 2 foot up and any porous things like wooden furniture that was in there is to be replaced, along with kitchen appliances flooring etc. So its a mammoth job and we will be probably moved out when the work gets done (whenever that is) They sprayed detergent around and went so I have all the flooring to lift etc and then they will have to spray the concrete floor afterwards. Loss adjusters come Wednesday.
  H ave to agree the council ain`t interested in private householders especially if insured. They will do bulky item removal but would do that anyway so we aren`t gunna see any of the millions of aid. I might not bother with insurance from now on if they try and rip me off for it. Just plead poverty and get things from the council for free anyway. As said it wasn`t a river but council cost cutting saving £120,000 a year on drain cleaning plus freak weather plus YW pumping station falling over. Yet we are gunna be pealised with insurance by probably £750/year on an ongoing basis. Feel like suing the council to get them to pay the extra amount.
  Good luck with getting sorted and keep ya chin up (keeps the water out ya mouth!)
• I live in a high flood risk area but haven't flooded as yet. I managed to get insurance by getting an environment agency report but why that should make a difference I don't know as we're in the highest category risk. However we got insurance through our mortgage provider but noone else would touch us.
• The thing is once you get a no you have to declare that you have been turned down and they all follow suit. It is probs best to go to a broker who can then approach only the insurers they know provide cover.
  I live on an historical flood plain. It has never flooded in living memory, certainly not since houses were built on it 35-40 yrs ago and river defences have been beefed up over the years. Environment Agency website has all the area down as flood plain yet I have never had problems or increased premiums, nor has my dad who has lived 50 yds away for 35 yrs. He told me a freind of his enquired with EA and they told him it is no longer classed as a flood plain and could send him a certificate out to prove this, at a cost. Why don`t they just update their website and update the info they give to the insurance companies instead of profiteering by asking every householder to cough up for a certificate??!!
  Flood plain or not Hull is going to be a difficult area to get insurance now with a third of homes effected by recent flooding. The flooding as I said earlier caused alot by neglect of drains etc and NOT the risk of being in a flood plain because of rivers or waterways.
  Someone should be held accountable for this as 17000 homes are going to declined insurance or charged the earth for it at the very least, on an ongoing basis.
  If you do the maths based on someone I know who recently paid (I got it wrong in the initial post) £500 instead of the £250 normal that is still £250/year extra, and this is based on someone who DIDN`T get flooded so you can be sure if you have just had £20-30 k out of an insurer you will pay twice that.
• Hi K-hkr,
  Spent 3 hours on the phone yesterday, ringing insurance and loss adjusters, (now on 3rd loss adjuster and he doesn't know where my file is). Friend of mine has just got a quote of £40,000 for building work for a 3 bed semi. Sounds similar to what you need to have done. I'm still waiting for Befor to come and disinfect again. Got a builder round last night, all plaster flooring, woodwork needs removing, kitchen and bathroom to be stripped back to brick. All furniture and white goods are to be disposed off. Everything is ruined.
  I know people are working round the clock to get things moving but its the not knowing what's going on, waiting for return phone calls that never happen.
  Anyway, lots of people worse off than me.
  Good luck with everything.
  Sage
• Try https://www.liverpoolvictoria.co.uk/ they have quoted for a friend of mine when no-one else would. (Thanks to Graham_Devon in the Money savers arms!).
  It's also worth trying Co-Operative Insurance, Legal and General and Norwich Union.
• I remember about a week after the floods, some woman from the ABI appearing on BBC news telling everyone not to worry, because they would still be able to get insurance in the future! But now when you look on their website, that's rubbish.
  https://www.abi.org.uk/Display/defaul...0&Child_ID=796
• I'm just outside Hull and was flooded. My Sister works in insurance and has advised me to make sure my claim is logged as a storm claim as a flood claim should only happen when a river, dyke etc breaks it's banks.
  I've insisted that the insurer do this so with any luck this might help in the future.
  We just had freak weather in this area and now we are all suffering!
• Hi,
  I had a similar problem with drains overflowing & a non-functioning pumping station (in Swindon), and now there is more than Ј25k worth of work to be done on the house, so the loss adjusters say (don't know where they get their prices, but a lot more than it would cost me if I were shopping around, I'm sure!). Anyway, both my contents insurer and buildings insurer have logged the claim as storm damage as no water source was involved. They said this should help to make sure that it doesn't affect the value of the property or the cost/ease of getting insurance in the futurem - although we all know we are going to be paying more in any case.
  Worth checking with your current insurer, I would think.