Flood insurance

There are lots of things you can do to prevent flood risk, starting with making sure you have the right kind of insurance cover. Next, there’s a range of flood defences you can have installed which should lower the risk of damage to your property.

Most commercial properties aren’t included, but it’s always worth checking with Flood Re or your insurer to make sure.

If you’re renting, you don’t need to worry about buildings insurance – this is the responsibility of the landlord or whoever owns the freehold on the property.

However, you should consider taking out contents insurance to protect your own belongings from flood risk. If you own any especially expensive items like pricey jewelry or high end electronics, it may be a good idea to consider high value contents insurance too. This should help ensure you can replace those big ticket items if your home does flood.

Asking yourself how much contents insurance do I need? Try our handy guide for tips on taking out the perfect amount.

If your home was built before 1 January 2009 and it’s in a flood risk area, you may be covered by the Flood Re scheme. You can find out via its website and see a list of insurers that have signed up to it.

Flooding is one of the worst things you could experience in your home. But if you’re a victim of flooding, try not to panic. It’s best to keep a cool head so you deal with it in the best possible way.

You should report any damage caused by flooding to your insurer straightaway or as soon as possible, contacting them through their emergency claims line.

Try giving your insurer as much information as you can. If you have contents and buildings insurance in place, your belongings and the structure of your home should be covered for all or at least most types of flooding.

Depending on your policy, you may also have alternative accommodation cover in place, which could now prove extremely useful if your home has been made uninhabitable through flooding!

You should take photos of any damage, and be as meticulous in recording everything that relates to your claim as possible. You’re generally not meant to remove anything from your property that has anything to do with the claim until your insurer gives you the go-ahead.

Once you’ve registered your home insurance claim, you should also ask your insurer when they expect their loss adjuster to inspect your home – just so you’re aware.

You can find out if your home is in an area at risk of flooding by checking the relevant flood risk map online, according to where you live.

There are separate online flood risk maps for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

If your home is prone to or at risk of flooding, there are some measures you can put in place to help minimise the damage:

• Doors: installing a flood-resistant front door can dramatically reduce the chances of water entering your home.
• Flood barriers: if flooding is imminent you can protect your doorways and windows with sand bags or barriers to reduce the risk of damage.
• Warnings: local authorities will typically give plenty of warnings when storms are likely to hit, giving you at least some time to prepare.
• Emergency kit: it's always a good idea to have an emergency pack at the ready to deal with bad weather situations. Include items such as: charged phone, torch, emergency phone numbers, matches and candles, food and water, and warm clothes.
• Store valuables upstairs: this includes any important documents such as passports and insurance documents.
• Pets: don't forget your furry friend during a flood or storm. Keep pets indoors and in a safe space.

Homes which are not residential, such as those rented out for holidays, aren’t covered by the Flood Re scheme.

Yes, leasehold properties are eligible for Flood Re. You can find a full list of included properties at the Flood Re website.

Residential ‘buy to let’ properties are included in the Flood Re scheme. If your property meets this criteria you should be covered.

The excess you pay is set when you buy insurance, and it must be paid if you make a claim. You can often choose the amount you pay, and this can directly impact the cost of your insurance.

A flood is generally viewed as being caused by an outside source, such as a river, stream, lake or tidal waters. Some insurers will also cover groundwater flooding, though not all.

Flood insurance does not cover flooding caused by burst pipes or escape of water, though these events may also be covered depending on the terms of your policy.

Coverage for damage caused by burst pipes or escape of water can vary from insurer to insurer, with some covering only the damage caused by a leak, and others also adding on trace and access insurance, which covers the cost of uncovering where the leak is coming from. 

Flooding from groundwater occurs when the water table rises – it means that the level of water within the rock or soil underground has increased. If the water table rises significantly, it can reach ground level and breach the surface, causing flooding.

Groundwater flooding tends to differ from other types of flooding such as from rivers or tidal waters. It tends to be a much slower phenomenon, happening some time after heavy or prolonged rainfall.

For homeowners, it can manifest itself as water seeping through floors or basements. This can be devastating, with the cost of groundwater flooding damage potentially running into tens of thousands of pounds.

Certain parts of the country are more at risk from groundwater flooding than others, including areas with chalk or permeable bedrock. British Geological Survey says up to 290,000 properties in England are located in areas at risk of groundwater flooding.

Your home insurance will not necessarily cover groundwater flooding. So if you live in an area at risk of groundwater flooding, you should check insurance documents carefully to make sure you choose a policy that does cover this hazard.

When it’s time to renew your policy, as with any type of claim, the cost of your insurance is likely to rise if you’ve made a claim for flood damage.

You could also lose your home insurance no-claims discount and you might find you have to pay a larger excess on any claims.

Insurers’ approaches can differ when it comes to flood claims and excess. It’s a competitive market, so it should be worth shopping around at renewal to get the best price for your home insurance.

If you live in an area at high risk of flooding or you’ve claimed for flood damage in the past, it’s crucial to check that any home insurance quotes you are offered do actually include cover for flooding.

It’s worth noting that the vast majority of insurers will use the Flood Re scheme to take on eligible customers living in areas at high risk of flooding.

The scheme helps keep premiums down for those at risk of flooding as well as helping to ensure that home insurance is actually available to them.