26 July 2007

Thousands of Properties Play Flood Roulette | Cheap Car Insurance and Home Insurance from Confused.com

Confused.com is warning people living in low-lying areas to make sure they have adequate home insurance to protect themselves against the fall out from possible future flooding and power cuts.

Debra Williams, managing director of Confused.com, the UK's leading insurance comparison service, urged people not to be complacent: 'If you are among the one in four people who do not have home insurance and live in a flood risk area, you are playing 'Russian roulette' with your property and possessions.

'The consequences of not having insurance or having insufficient cover are potentially severe. The typical claim for flooding stands in the region of £15,000-£30,000, yet home and contents premiums could be as little as £20 a month*. So if you don't currently have cover, ask yourself: can I afford the risk?'

An estimated five million people across the UK live in flood risk areas**. The Government is warning that the risk of flooding has not yet abated, and in some areas the worst is still to come.

Debra added: 'Even those who have escaped the worst effects of the floods, are currently being hit by indirect consequences such as power failure. So far more than 50,000 people have had their electricity cut off, and many more could be at risk. Although many of these households have not been flooded, they could face significant losses which they may be unable to claim for, such as the cost of replacing spoilt food from defrosted freezers.'

Research conducted by Confused.com last July revealed that the average UK freezer contained £173* worth of food, while 34% of households filled freezers with between £200 and £500 worth of goods. Not all policies provide freezer cover as standard, yet for a few pounds most insurers will provide this extra cover, and extra piece of mind.

NOTES TO EDITORS

• * Annual premium £243.49 (£22 if paying by Monthly Direct Debit) with Key Connect, based on 3 bedroom terraced house in Cardiff (CF5), £30k contents cover, £100 excess, no claims and no history of flooding.
• ** Bureau Insurance Services
• According to the ABI one in four houses in the UK is uninsured

• Keep a copy of your home insurer's policy details and telephone number to hand in case you need to make a claim following a flood.
• Place sandbags outside doors, windows and airbricks to reduce the amount of flood water entering your property.
• Turn off the mains supplies of water, gas and electricity.
• If possible move as much furniture as you can to the second floor.
• For items that cannot be moved upstairs, remove the contents and store upstairs
• Roll up and store rugs and curtains upstairs.
• If you have particularly valuable or sentimental items, think about moving these to a safe place first as these are often the hardest to replace

• Ensure mains supplies of water, electricity and gas have been checked by a qualified engineer before reconnecting.
• Contact your insurer and report any damage caused to buildings and/or contents as soon as possible.
• Take photographs of damaged items as it may help your insurer to settle a claim.
• Open doors and windows to ventilate and dry out the property. Ensure your home is completely dried out before attempting any redecorating work.
• Keep any ruined property as insurers may want to inspect it.
• If you have been flooded in the last ten years and need insurance cover, specialist insurers may be the best option as many general insurers choose not to quote on flood risks, or simply provide uncompetitive quotes. One alternative is to compare quotes from specialist providers such as Adrian Flux and Bureau Insurance Services who often provide competitive cover for properties in flood risk areas.

• Confused.com is an online comparison site that allows people to search and compare the best prices for car, home and travel insurance.
• Confused.com customers are currently saving on average £215 when searching for car insurance on Confused.com and £151 when searching for buildings and contents insurance
• Confused.com provides real-time, fully underwritten quotes in less than two minutes: with Confused, the quote you see is the price you pay.

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