Your house has flooded – here’s what you should do next

Floods are Britain’s most common and widespread natural disaster – and are predicted to become increasingly common as towns and cities spread on to floodplains.

At the start of the year, Storm Henk battered houses across England. Around 2,000 homes are thought to have been affected by flooding, according to government figures – and storm season is by no means over yet.

But storms aren’t the only cause of flooding. According to the British Red Cross, it can also happen after a prolonged period of heavy rain, when snow melts too quickly, when dams or levees break and when waves come on to the shore. It can also be caused by droughts, when rain falls on hard, dry ground.

Your home being flooded – especially to the point where you need to evacuate the property – is a worst case scenario. 

The majority of household insurance now includes flooding coverage in some form, and there is a competitive market of insurers offering products – yet nearly a quarter of people are not currently protected by a home or contents insurance policy. This is despite 38pc living in areas susceptible to flooding or other extreme weather events, according to AXA UK research.  

Affordable flooding insurance is also available to those covered by the Government’s Flood Re scheme. Under the scheme, introduced in 2016, the Government ensures that insurers are not at risk of going bankrupt as a result of the volume of flooding-related claims coming in at once. 

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) four out of five households that have been entered into the scheme have seen a price reduction of more than 50pc to their home insurance.

However, it doesn’t cover homes built since 2009, and blocks of flats with three or more residences are also excluded. 

If your property isn’t covered, the ABI recommends speaking to an insurance broker to find out what your options are. 

However, even if you have flooding insurance it isn’t easy to find the best course of action once the worst happens. Here, Telegraph Money takes you through what to do. 

Bad weather on its way? Protect your property

If there are weather warnings for your area it is worth taking preventative steps to reduce potential damage from flooding.

Initial steps include moving any valuables up stairs, securing or relocating anything outside that could be damaged or swept away. 

If possible, it is also advised to move your car away from a high risk area, and try to get hold of sandbags. They should be placed around any points where water could enter the property, such as under doorways, in brick wall-like layers.

If high winds are expected, check your property for any loose tiles or fittings that may be at risk of getting dislodged.

If possible, take an inventory of what is in your home as it could be useful when assessing damage and submitting a claim later on. 

At this point it could also be wise to dig out your insurance policy documents to make sure you have the details to hand if and when you need them, and writing down a list of emergency contact numbers. 

What to do if your home floods

Despite the most organised planning, things can still go wrong. If you’re unfortunate enough that your home floods, the first step is to make sure you and your family are safe. 

Turn off all electricity, gas and water supply, then call your insurer on their emergency phone line as soon as possible. Most have a 24-hour phone line to advise you on the next steps, and will start looking and sorting repairs. 

Louise Clark, ABI Policy Adviser for General Insurance, said: “In the first instance, they’ll ask you for your policy number and your full name and address. 

“It’s also useful to give them as much information about what’s happened and the extent of the damage, and they can advise on next steps and whether you need to keep any receipts or take any photos to support your claim.”

Remember that the burden of proof for a loss falls to the customer – so if, for instance, your sofa has been ruined by the flood and you want to make a claim for a replacement, you’ll have to prove the sofa existed in the first place. 

However, Adam Holland, head of product, AXA UK, adds that the circumstances of your claim – particularly flooding – will be taken into account, as sometimes it isn’t always possible to gather the necessary documents and evidence. 

You’ll also need to understand what different insurance policies cover. While your buildings insurance will likely cover drying out and restoring a house, it will not necessarily pay out under the policy for damage to your belongings. 

This needs to be covered by contents insurance. A buildings policy might, however, pay for storage if items need to be removed from your property. 

In the first instance, if your home is no longer habitable your buildings insurance should cover the cost of emergency accommodation. But it is important to speak to your insurance company and establish what your need is and agree on suitable alternative accommodation, or else there is a risk they won’t pay out. 

Mr Holland said that for policies only covering building insurance AXA offers emergency accommodation that takes effect if the customer has been advised to vacate the property by a statutory or local authority following damage to a neighbouring property; or a safety risk because of potential damage to the home.

For policies covering both building and contents insurance, alternative accommodation is usually provided which also covers emergency accommodation if you need to leave the property at short notice.

However, cover does vary between providers so it is worth checking the details of your policy.

Furthermore, if you have pets who can’t stay with you at the emergency accommodation, some policies may cover the cost of kennels, according to Compare the Market. 

Making a claim for flooding damage 

When it comes to making a claim and resolving a claim, what you get and the time the process takes will depend on the extent of the damage. The average cost for flooding damage is around £40,000 according to Mohammad Khan, general insurance leader at PwC. 

If your home is in a flooding risk area it is worth asking your insurer whether they are part of the Build Back Better Scheme. This enables insurers to pay out for costs over and above the damage in order to better protect your home against future events. 

Make sure you keep all receipts from expenditure related to the flooding, such as emergency accommodation, so you have everything ready for the claim. If possible, take photos of the property damage and mark out the maximum height of the floodwaters on the wall. 

If you have an inventory, cross reference it against what is damaged so you have a clear picture of the full claim and repairs that will need to be carried out.

You will have to arrange for a loss adjuster to come round and assess the damage, too. 

Some insurance companies use third parties for this work. If you disagree with the loss adjuster’s assessment you can negotiate, but make sure you have evidence of why you think they are wrong – such as getting your own quotes for cost estimations.

After this, your insurer should advise you on the next steps. If you get their agreement, and you can do so safely, you should start the clean up process. Some tasks may need a professional, so keep hold of the receipts to pass on to your insurance company. 

It is worth mentioning that your insurer may have a specific definition of storm that needs to be met in order to pay out for certain damage. 

Depending on the reasons behind the flood, some insurers will only pay out if it meets their definition required to pay out for certain damage. 

For example, if you’re making a claim for storm damage, some providers – including AXA, Ageas and Direct Line – use the ABI’s definition of a storm, which includes wind speeds with gusts of at least 48 knots (55mph) or torrential rainfall at a rate of at least 25mm per hour. 

Once a settlement has been agreed, your insurer will issue a pay out and you can use the money to begin repairs.