Flood Re explained

Flood Re helps homeowners in high-risk flood areas access affordable flood insurance cover as part of their home contents and buildings insurance.

The scheme helps households with the highest risk of flood damage and offers advice on how to reduce this risk. 

The good news is that it's due to continue until 2039. After this, home insurance companies may only offer policies based on the risk to your property. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Flood Re.

Am I eligible for Flood Re?

Before diving in, it’s worth checking if Flood Re is an option for you. To qualify, you need to:

• Your home insurance policy must be in your name
• Your home must have been built before 1 January 2009
• The property must be in a council tax band
• The property must be used for residential purposes

You might not be eligible for Flood Re if:

• Your home was built after 1 January 2009
• You’re a buy-to-let landlord
• The property is leasehold
• The property is used for commercial purposes
• The home is based in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man

Flood Re recommends using their qualify tool to check if you’re eligible. It's worth using this before you buy home insurance - but it doesn’t make a difference to the way you buy your policy. You'd also contact your insurer if you need to make a claim.

How do I get Flood Re insurance?

If you’re getting a quote through us, we’ll ask you:

1. If the property is more than 400 metres from water. e.g. rivers, streams or the sea. 400m is about 4 football pitches long. If you’re within 200m of water, then your premium rises by over £50*. 

2. If your property:

• Has never flooded
• Has flooded within the last 10 years. Your insurance price could rise by over £200* if your home has flooded in the last 10 years.
• Flooded over 10 years ago. 

If you live in a flood risk area, we’ll give you a list of providers that offer Flood Re. The scheme works alongside your insurance provider, so you don’t have to get a quote for it separately.

Your insurance provider should pass on the flood risk elements of your policy to Flood Re, for a fixed price.

Which home insurance providers take part in the Flood Re Scheme?

From the insurers we compare, the following take part in Flood Re:

• Admiral
• Ageas
• AXA
• Churchill
• Halifax
• John Lewis
• LV=
• More Than
• Nationwide
• Privilege
• Sainsbury's bank
• Swiftcover

This list is correct as of May 2025. There are more insurers that work with Flood Re, according to the Flood Re website - these are just the insurers that have Flood RE that we compare.

How do I make a Flood Re claim?

If you want to make a claim for flooding, make a home insurance claim through your insurer, who should cover the costs. Flood Re then reimburses the insurer, helping to lower your home insurance costs.

Fun fact: All home insurance providers pay into the Flood Re scheme through a levy, even if they don’t offer Flood Re cover. That’s what helps fund claims and keep the scheme running.

Flood Re help for tenants

If you rent your home and live in a flood-risk area, Flood Re could help make your contents insurance cheaper.

That’s because insurers who pay into the scheme can offer better prices, thanks to the added protection Flood Re provides.

One more thing: it’s worth checking with your landlord if they’ve got buildings insurance in place. It might include help with rehousing costs after a flood.

What is the Build Back Better initiative?

Build Back Better is a scheme that provides up to £10,000 worth of flood defences to homeowners when repairing a property after a flood.

Flood Re created the scheme to reduce the cost and impact of future floods on houses across the UK. Any grants made through this scheme could be on top of any money you get from a flood claim.

The Build Back Better initiative includes Property Resilience Measures as part of the flood repairs. These can often include:

• Installing self-closing air bricks
• Raising electrical sockets from floor level
• Replacing flooring with waterproof tiling and grout
• Installing flood-resistant doors

The aim is to make the process of rebuilding and cleaning up after a flood easier, quicker and safer for homeowners. So if you're affected by flooding, you can get back to normal life as soon as possible.