We work closely with underwriters, insurers and insurance brokers every day and are very familiar with insurers’ views on covering things which are rapidly becoming a certainty rather than a risk especially as one in six homes are currently at risk of flooding and the amount paid by Insurers since 2000 now exceeds £4.5 billion.

These are worrying figures indeed and one has to draw the conclusion that this cannot and probably will not be allowed continue.

When you then look at this in conjunction with the government’s recent announcement to cut spending on flood defenses we appear to have a disaster just waiting to happen.

Many people will of course think that none of this really matters as they have flood insurance but for how much longer ?

An agreement was reached between the Insurance Industry and the Government a few years ago to ensure that flood cover remains available to all existing customers.  Note the word ‘existing’; this insurance won’t be much use when you want to insure a property in a known flood area for the first time!

What has also largely escaped the news is that this agreement expires at the end of June 2013 and at present insurers are under no obligation to extend this.  And they are not very likely to do so when claims continue to rise and the government is not investing in flood defenses.

Not being able to obtain flood insurance will make some properties unfit for sale, as potential purchasers will not be able to secure a mortgage or advance against a property that is not fully insured, we have many years experience in arranging house insurance for properties in flood risk areas and can arrange for insurance that you can pass onto potential purchasers.

One less barrier to selling your house.

If you know, or even suspect, that your property has undergone subsidence or has been underpinned, it is much wiser to act than ignore it. Surveyors are becoming increasingly worried about cracks, bulges and window/door joinery distortions, commonly referring such problems to a specialist. Faced with a choice, they would rather delay your sale than risk a negligence claim. This can delay the sale at its most critical stage, usually for months, sometimes years.

The good news is that there are many conditions that give subsidence-like symptoms, and a knowledgeable defects specialist will discover whether the true cause is something else – such as, shrinkage/expansion (thermal or materials-based), lintel failure, weathering effects, etc. Some subsidence conditions are very localised – for example, that caused by a water mains or drains leak. Others are more general – perhaps due to clay soil expansion/contraction, or a rise/fall in water table.

If you deal with it early, you will have all the right pieces of paper in place when you sell. Reports on drains, soils investigation, specification, a completion certificate, etc, will help satisfy your purchaser’s surveyor, mortgage lenders and (above all) insurers, who should continue to insure the property for the new owner.

Often your buildings insurers will pay for the cost of underpinning, drains repairs and making good, and the professional fees involved, less an “excess” – typically £1,000. This may sound a lot, but it can be so much cheaper than a price-reduction, abortive legal costs, and losing the chance to move to your next property. But do allow many months for this process!

Our Independent Specialists compare the whole of the market to find the most suitable policy for your needs.

They compare the health insurance products from over 40 insurance companies in the healthcare market with over 400 different products including special rates not available to the general public to find you the best value to suit your needs and budget.

We can offer more choice and better value. To get your no obligation quote or advice.

Private medical insurance   - sometimes called PMI, private healthcare or private health cover – gives you and your family the reassurance of knowing that, should the need arise, you will get access to the treatment you need, when you need it receiving your medical treatment privately, without waiting for the NHS to treat you. It is all about peace of mind and the reassurance of knowing you’ll get the treatment you need, when you need it and at the best hospitals.

You can chose and create a private health insurance plan to suit your own needs, you don’t need to have to accept an off the shelf healthcare insurance plan.

Our specialists are independent and have access to all the major healthcare insurance companies and major providers in the health insurance field. Companies such as Bupa, Axappphealthcare. Aviva, Pruhealth and many smaller companies.

Tel: 0161 368 4895

Email: info@redundancyprotection.co.uk

Before taking out any insurance policy you will obviously have many questions. We have tried to answer the questions we get asked most often. If your specific question is not answered please give us a call on 0161 368 4895 or drop us an email.

You will find the online applications forms for redundancy and unemployment protection cover easy to use and self-explanatory, but if you do need help with your application please contact us.

Advice on accident, sickness, unemployment and redundancy protection for your mortgage, rent, loan payments or income is free. Talk in confidence to a human on 0161 368 4895, email us or complete the form opposite.

 People living in high-risk areas are currently subsidised by about two thirds by lower risk homeowners. The Association of British Insurers and the Government are in discussions, and a plan to use tax revenue to subsidise high-risk homeowners has been mooted. But we cannot see the Government putting in more money at the moment because of the national economic situation. If affordable insurance is not available, homes could become almost worthless and mortgages impossible to obtain.

If you are experiencing problems obtaining satisfactory house insurance please talk to our experts at http://www.flood-risk-home-insurance.co.uk/

Their assessment looks at the floodplain and takes into account the presence of flood defences in the local area. This provides a first step for insurers in assessing insurance using the best available flood mapping. Most UK insurers have access to the Environment Agencies flood risk mapping and should know if your area is at risk of flooding.

To access the information that the insurance companies use, you to can view the flood map by following this link  Flood Map.

The Flood Map allows you to find out what the likelihood of flooding from rivers and the sea is in your local area.

If your home is deemed to be at a higher risk of flooding and you are having difficulties in obtaining house insurance please contact our specialists at flood-risk-home-insurance.co.uk

If the premium seems too cheap BUYER BEWARE ask to see a full quotation in writing before you part with your cash please, if you need a specialist policy make sure that’s what your getting not something you thought it was that will not payout. 

Be carful of others on the complaints list if they sell their policies either online or through financial advisers, be sure you see the application documents and check that the important details have not been “missed out” to get a cheap quote, they are keen on getting your money rather than giving the cover you want.  

The classic insurers who supposedly deal with older people also are not as good as they seem. We have had reports of them charging premiums 3 or 4 times market rates such a lady in north London who’s home had suffered subsidence, she mentioned she was paying £350 it seemed quite good NO it was £350 a month so £4200 a year our specialist got her cover for £1500.

Beware of insurers specialising in insuring the older generation they will sell you a policy at rock bottom prices. And within a few years you will end up paying vastly more you might pay elsewhere. 

Please don’t be scared by the usual suspects into believing that they have done you a great favor in keeping you covered and that no one else can help, nor when you find that they change their tune and say they no longer cover your risk etc. 

There are true experts who are experienced people not call centers and treat you as a person, those are the ones we recommend to you.

More often than not their premiums can be lower than you would expect, they also promise that cover will transfer to any one that buys your house in the future. To contact one of our insurance specialists on flood risk home insurance, insurance for houses affected by subsidence  or ex offenders insurance  just click on the above links.

These are not fraudulent claims as most people would understand but more often they happen because of non disclosure of previous claims, usually an oversight by the client when they apply for the policy. i.e. they ring insurer about a £50 claim are told they cannot claim so assume its not logged so when they get a new quote they say no claims. A claim is made and then thrown out as they failed to disclose the previous (NON) claim 

Sometimes this is not an oversight as the claim was only an enquiry by the policyholder and never paid out.

You need to understand that if you phone your insurers to ask whether an incident would be covered by your policy this will be registered as a claim even if it isn’t covered. 

Also some of the large comparison site will from now be checking on your claim and credit history when you apply for a quotation and loading your premium accordingly, others will have this information at the time of application but won’t use it until you try to make a claim.

In short the aggregators are checking you your credit history as you go online the better ones do it before you buy the worst ones do it after you buy then wont pay claims.

If you have problems because of previous claims conteact our specialist insurance providers

This should not be a major problem for a professional insurance broker. We will always give flood cover with a sensible excess. 

Although the ABI did pledge support for flood victims this is proving not to be holding too much water and will be phased out soon anyway. 

Our facility is with Lloyds of London and we offer a success rate of being able to quote on 99% of risks presented to us. Each risk is individually rated by way of a simple emailed enquiry form. It is not possible to give specific rates, but we find our conversion rates are substantial.

If you are having problems insuring your property in Welden, or anywhere else, please contact flood risk home insurance for help and advice.

Following the floods in Chipping Campden in July 2007, which affected both our house and holiday-let cottage in Park Road, we changed our insurers to NFU, who offered us very reasonable terms. 

We have recently sold the cottage and were amazed to discover that the purchasers were declined flood cover by the NFU and were unable to obtain it elsewhere either. Since then, I have realised that a number of other property owners in and around Chipping Campden have a similar problem. 

I am pleased to announce that I have managed to find a number of brokers who specialise in providing cover for flood-affected properties. One in particular that I would recommend is Neil Cook, Head of Specialist Risks for TR Youngs Insurance Brokers. His motto is to offer solutions, not create problems. Watch his BBC interview about helping flood victims http://www.youtube.com/watch?y=HKjwlfOm0pk. 

If you were affected by the floods and have difficulty in obtaining insurance cover on reasonable terms, I suggest that you contact Neil Cook, giving him details of your circumstances and the measures, if any, that you have taken to prevent a recurrence. The Note from the Town Council which appears in this month’s Bulletin may also help you to obtain more favorable terms, as it lists the various remedial actions which have already been taken or are still due to be taken in this financial year. Copies can be obtained in The Old Police Station either from the Town Clerk’s office or from The Jola Glass Studio. 

Robbie Kingston 

To contact Neil please complete the flood risk home insurance call back form on the flood risk home insurance page.