insurance renewal after flooding (merged)

A question about : insurance renewal after flooding (merged)

A little suggestion if you've been flooded and your insurance company want to triple the renewal premium for buildings and contents. Contact your council and ask if they have any works in progress to prevent future flooding to your property. I did and received a positive letter from the council highways department. After forwarding the letter to the insurance company they reduced the renewal from Ј900 down to Ј400, including flood cover

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Best answers:

• You can definately get this information - however, it is the Environment Agency's responsibility to maintain and upgrade flood defences, so you are best writing to them.
• The Environment Agency were nowhere to be seen during the floods. They apparently hindered the Fire Brigade when they wanted to pump water into a beck which went out to sea. The excuse used was that the water may be contaminated and the FB would have to accept responsibility for resulting problems in the Humber Estuary. Hence they refused to open the sluice gates into the Humber.
  Anglian Water were also missing during that time.
  Sorry, but the Environment.Agency have not been involved with this at all. It has been the local Council Highways Department who have helped and actually put in temporary measures until a full solution has been funded.
• Hi everyone, I have posted this on the floods board and the insurance board as I'm aware a lot of the flood victims might not have access to the internet to get on the forum. Sorry for the length of the email..
  Basically we were flooded out last July. Contents cover was renewed in December with no problems as we managed to move most stuff upstairs so minimum claim. Buildings cover was with Budget (underwriters Axa). We have been with them almost a year (renting before this) and renewal is up at end of January.
  Had a letter from them dated 8 Jan. in which they informed us of new renewal quote (increased but not too bad) and said they would take money from my visa card. cancel. My visa card has changed recently so rang them and explained I wished to change card details. When I rang I was informed that there was a referral on the policy which meant it needed to be flagged up again with the underwriters - I was not told why as the person in call centre did not know but assumed it was flood related - and that we would be contacted asap about this.
  Yesterday I received a letter from Budget (dated 16 January) informing me that the underwriters had declined to renew the policy. Budget were currently negotiating with their panel of underwriters to see if they could get a deal for us but if they can't then our buildings cover runs out at midnight on 31 January 2008!!
  I spent all this morning on the phone to various insurance people who refused to cover flood victims, or won't cover property because we are not living in it (but it's not inhabitable!!!). My mortgage provider may cover the insurance as they have an obvious interest in the property but again they need to check with underwriters and get back to me.
  To say I'm upset and furious would be an understatment!!! When I spoke to insurance companies this morning a couple of them mentioned that there was an unwritten agreement between insurance companies that those people who'd been flooded would generally be able to renew their insurance and they were quite surprised that Budget were doing this. Is anyone aware of this 'agreement'?
  I am going to ring Budget tomorrow and say they have 48 hours to get back to me with a yes or no - as it is I have a matter of days to try and find buildings insurance and get it all in place for Feb 1! I mean didn't know they months ago that they would not renew flood victims insurace and couldn't they have sent letters out then warning people?
  Has anyone else had a similar thing happen to them after the flood when their buildings insurance was up for renewal? During the claim I have to put in a formal complaint to Axa about their suppliers and driers due to appalling service and this complaint was upheld and my policy excess was returned - could this also be a reason why renewal has been refused?
  If Budget do not uphold this renewal then could I put in a complaint about them - not only about non renewal but also about the timescales of all this? Or am I being naive and this is the way all insurance companies operate?
  Sorry for the long email and the ranting but we are currently stuck in temporary accommodation with a 6 month old baby (born one week after the house was flooded!) and have had to argue every bloody thing with the underwriters and loss adjustor and just when we thought we were in the home stretch and might be back in by Easter we now get this bombshell from them right at the last minute!
  Any advice anyone can give or similar experiences would be gratefully received. Thank you everyone.
• The Association of British Insurers (the industry body for insurance companies) has a Statement of Principles on the provision of flood insurance:
  https://www.abi.org.uk/Display/File/C...ciples2005.pdf
  In areas of significant flood risk, they state:
  "Insurers will ... work with the owners ... to see what action could be taken by the property owner, the Environment Agency and the local authority to make the property insurable in some form. This action might include the use of accredited products, flood resilient materials and temporary defences to defend the property."
  This document is very useful, as it also makes it clear that 'blacklisting' shouldn't happen. This is a hotly debated topic that has even been the subject of parlimentary debate:
  https://www.publications.parliament.u...80107-0021.htm (I refer to the second to last paragraph)
  However, the ABI document doesn't give clues on likely premiums or excesses, so assuming your insurance company is an ABI member, it would be wise to shop around armed with the information ysabell advised to collect and remind them of their industry guide if they are uncooperative.
• Our house has never been flooded although our village is in a well known flood area.For this reason I am struggling to find reasonable insurance cover and am frequently asked whether I am within 250 metres of the highest flood waters to the best of my knowledge. I think we are just about within this limit but am not totally sure. I have asked a few neighbours who are nearer the river and they say they have just said they are outside the limit. I am a bit worried that this would invalidate the insurance for any sort of claim, which would be a bit of a waste of money!! What do you think? Also, is it possible to get insurance for everything except flooding, I haven't found anyone who would do it yet? Thanks.
• If you have suffered a loss due to flooding appoint a public loss assessor to handle your claim get what you are entitled to in terms of your policy not what your insurance company's loss adjusters want to give you!
• I was unfortunate enough to be flooded in July,07. This did not affect my renewal last year, but I have just received a letter from my insurance company stating that the insured property would ineligible for their BEDROOM RATED PRODUCT, can anyone please explain the meaning of this? many thanks in advance.
• no idea but i bet you 10 to one that it means they want more money out of you.
• Sorry to hear about your flooding - we were also flooded in July 07 as well so know exactly what you've been through!
  Bedroom-rated policies are ones that base what you pay for your insurance on the number of bedrooms in your house. Look through the small print of your policy and it should explain this a bit more - if you're already using a bedroom rated product for your premiums it might mean a price hike, or if your renewal is due now it's probably just letting you know that you can't use this as an option for renewal.
  Hope that helps and you're now settled back home. :-)
• Many thanks to you both for your replies. I'm not so much worried about the higher premium (I expected that) it's more the reduced level of insurance. I have emailed the environmental agency as my insurance company have been advised by them that my property is located in a flood area but I can't see anything on their map for my postcode to suggest this.
  Yes, Newbie we are back home thank-you & still have bits to finish off. Fingers crossed that this was a one-off. Sorry to hear about your flooding also & hope that you are now sorted. It was a nightmare year for lots of unfortunate people.
  Thanks again.
• Whats Asprea And Dales uo to
• Hi
  Did you have any luck with this.. I'm in the same position now and don't have the option of renewing my original cover?