Reports of extreme weather conditions inflicting devastation all over the world is not a new thing on the news. Though most people here in the UK need not worry a lot with regards to property, personal belongings and well-being, there is a minority group of the population that have solemn anxieties. These are the homeowners whose properties are located in or around flood prone vicinities. It is reported that at least 5 million people in the UK reside in flood prone areas and this raises serious concerns following the damage floods can bring. Most mortgage providers do require that you have a building insurance before tendering you the mortgage. House prices have been seen to flip in flood risk areas and it becomes even worse in the event of insurance problems.
The environment agency has framed a flood risk map for England and Wales and this allows the insurance companies to identify with very high accuracy the flood risks associated with every house in the UK. This data has since permitted over 100,000 homes to have them removed from their at-risk status. This thus allows homeowners to enjoy much cheaper building insurance. Most of building policies cover external flood insurance as part of the cover but the current weather conditions leading to large claims made on building following flood damages has led many insurers to avoid quoting for buildings in flood risk areas.
If you are owning or considering purchasing a home in the flood prone areas it will be worthwhile to secure a quote the insurer is willing to cover. It is also essential to check and ascertain any future plans for flood protection in the area. Though this may not reduce the flood risk significantly it will be possibly reduce the home insurance policies in the area. Other ways of ensuring your home is more flood resilient include: replacing timber floors with concrete and covering with tiles, replace chipboard kitchen and bathroom units with plastic equivalents, moving boilers and electrical points well above flood levels, and installing one-way valves into drainage pipes as a precaution to avoid sewage backing into the house.
When the soil on which the house is built shrinks or swells it may cause structural damage. Even though the damage to property is covered by the building insurance for flooding there is often a larger excess in the event of subsidence. Most building policies only cover subsidence damage to the house itself. Almost all insurance companies do offer subsidence cover and do specify the excess but the terms and conditions relating to subsidence do vary from one insurance company to the other.
If your home or property is situated in a flood prone area, it is advisable to take precautions in the event that flood warnings are announced. The property owners with building insurance for flooding cover should remove any valuable goods from the lower floors and keep them upstairs. Sandbags should be placed around external doorways or in some cases around the border of the building if possible. It is also vital to know where to turn off electric and gas supplies no matter the time. To secure a cheap flood insurance quotation it is prudent to compare the premiums of various insurance providers and get in touch with a specialist broker panel to aid you in getting a good cover.
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