FLOOD damage can be a costly affair in your home, but mother nature isn’t going to be the one worrying about the value of your belongings.
Flooding, and nearly a foot of downpours are expected in the coming days, so it’s a good idea to get clued up on preventative and money-saving measures for the sake of your belongings.
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Aviva’s latest flood mapping data shows that one in five homes are currently at risk of at least one type of flooding.
But there are a number of things you can do before and after a flood to make sure you’re not forking out too much on the post-damage control.
It’s especially important to be in the know with flood warnings that express a “threat to life” hitting the UK this week.
That means that for many a soggy entry hall and a sodden lounge might just be inevitable, but there are steps you can take to reduce how much you might have to splash out if a tragedy occurs.
For most it can start before you even start to make a home out of a property, if you’re looking to buy a house use the government’s site to check the area for flood risks, and the same goes for renters – speak to your landlord about the risk.
Here are nine other things you can do to protect your home from a flood – and protect your wallet with it.
Get stocked up early
Once a neighbourhood is aware of a flood warning, things like sandbags and flood boards will be in high demand, so stock up ahead of time.
They are important to be in possession of as you can use these items to seal doorways, and place in sinks and toilets to prevent sewage backflow.
You can also try blocking any air bricks by using plastic sheeting if possible.
Prep an emergency kit
Get all of the essentials that you need in the event of a flood and put this in a grab-bag.
The experts at MoneySuperMarket recommend including insurance documents, a battery-powered torch and radio, waterproof clothing and blankets, bottled water, non-perishable food and medication, a first-aid kit, phone chargers and any food you need for babies and pets.
Similar to the advice on stocking up, if you leave this to the last minute you might find you end up paying through the nose for products, especially if your local stores and supermarkets have been impacted too – they might drive up prices.
Move your car to high ground
Make sure you stay on top of flood warnings so you know when you could be worse hit.
Then if you have time before the floodwater reaches your area, you can take your car to higher ground to save it from any damage.
You might thing the machine beast can withstand a bit of rain but if the situation worsens it could end up like a car that was found in a ditch in Runnymede, Surrey, after the recent torrential downpours.
Get insured
Kate Devine, home insurance spokesperson at MoneySuperMarket said: “It is always important to have a home insurance policy in place, but particularly if your home is at risk of flooding.
“Insurers cannot refuse cover for homes that are in flood risk areas, as long as the government still fund local flood defences.”
Take the time now to check if your home insurance policy covers the cost of any restoration and repairs to contents and homes in the event of a flood and if not it might be worth investing, especially if you live in a high risk area.
Kate also explained to The Sun that trying to scoot your insurance along on the cheapest possible deal may not provide the right cover for what you need – you can still opt for a low costs but make sure you’re not missing out on protections.
She also said: “If your home is damaged by floods, it may be worth considering whether or not to claim on your building insurance, if the flood damage is only mild… Covering the repair costs yourself, where possible, can keep your no-claims bonus whilst avoiding paying any excess.
“In the future, this may also help keep your premium costs to a minimum. If your insurance provider offers flood insurance as part of the Flood Re scheme, then you will need to pay a £250 excess fee to cover any loss or damage claims that are caused.”
You should also consider taking out contents insurance to protect your household items.
This will protect your belongings from being lost or damaged all year round too so you won’t miss out if you’re lucky enough to not be affected by flooding.
You can also get in contact with the council about tenants schemes, which can offer low-cost contents cover.
They are provided by trusted brands like Aviva, Aon and more.
Aviva underwrites a tenants contents scheme, which is available from over 90 councils and housing associations.
If your home was built before 2009 you should make sure your insurance policy provides flood cover and ask your insurer if they are part of the Flood Re scheme too.
That’s designed to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable for Brits in higher risk areas.
How to make a claim on flood insurance:
Inform your insurer as soon as you can that damage has occurred.
Organise evidence like pictures or video recordings of the flood and note down details like the depth of the water.
But don’t touch anything if you’re planning on claiming – your insurer will want to see how everything was affected so you shouldn’t interfere.
Consider consulting a loss assessor to investigate a claim and decide how much they’ll pay out. Loss assessors can also represent your claim, but you’ll be charged a fee for this service.
Take photos
Take pre flood photos so your insurer knows exactly how things have been damaged.
You should photograph each room in your home so you can collate before and after photos that show the extent of the damage.
But don’t stop there, as even after the damage has taken place, keep taking photos to show the aftermath.
Keep electronics switched off
If your belongings do get hit by flood water make sure not to turn on things like electrical items until they’ve completely dried out.
It’s best to leave most things as they are, not only until you’ve successfully claimed, but until it’s safe to carry on as normal anyway.
If you don’t do this it could cause further damage and you might have to fork out more.
Ventilate your home
If you know that you’re in the clear and no more water is due to come in, you should let some air into the house to help your home heal a little quicker.
Open doors and windows to ventilate and dry things out.
MoneySupermarket advices investing in a dehumidifier to help speed up the process and get things in your home back to normal quicker.
Lift things out of the water
If it’s safe to do so you could try lifting some things out of the water to prevent any further damage from occurring.
If your carpets are saturated, try to raise any furniture off them on to wooden blocks as this will prevent more water soaking into your belongings as the material will stay sodden longer.
If you act fast enough you could save some items rather than leaving them to get soggier meaning damages cost more to fix.
Be alert to scams
A reputable insurer will manage claims for its customers from start to finish, so there is no need to appoint a separate loss assessor, otherwise you could be scammed into dishing out more money.
But you could be approached by independent flood or loss assessors who offer to manage your insurance claim on your behalf.
Be careful of this because they could charge an extra fee, which could be taken from your insurance settlement.
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