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What To
Know About UK Homeowners Insurance and Living In a Flood
Zone
Many people in the
United Kingdom have homes that are in flood zone areas.
Places like Cumbria have been hit quite hard in the
past, and leave us with a strong reminder that a
disaster like a flood does happen. Most homeowner
policies cover flooding, but in the event a claim is
filed, will a premium automatically increase or worse
still -- will insurance cover be available at all?
There are some things you can do to protect your home if
you find you are at risk for flooding. The first step to
take is to find out if, in fact, the area you live in is
prone to flooding. There are flood maps available on the
Internet through The Environment Agency. These maps will
specify what areas are considered risk areas. There are
also ways to receive free warnings when flooding is
likely to affect the area you live in.
The next step is
to drill down to see whether your property does fall
into areas that are prone to flooding. If maps indicate
that your property is at risk, but you don't agree, you
will have to produce evidence that favours your opinion.
To do this, you'll have to prove that your home is
located in an area that is above flood levels. You will
have to show that your home sits on higher ground than
other properties in the area. You can also demonstrate
how your community or you as a homeowner have taken
steps to protect your area or your home from flooding.
There are insurers that offer cover if you can prove
that you've made some flood proofing changes in your
home like using ceramic tiles on the first floor and
raising plug points higher on the walls of your home.
Because some insurers will not recognise any measures
taken to protect a home from flooding, it's important
that you look for those insurers that do when you go to
a price comparison home insurance website.
Whether you live in a flood risk area or not, it pays to
know about the steps you can take to avoid some of the
risk involved. You never know, situations could change
due to climate or weather, and you could find yourself
and your home in a newly designated risk area. |