Flood Risk
Recently flooding has become headline news in the UK. Due to climate changes, floods are becoming more frequent and more devastating. For this reason home insurance flood-risk cover is now more important and also increasingly expensive for those in flood-risk areas.
The Environment Agency has a flood map indicating areas that are under threat from flooding. If you live in one of these areas it is important to take measures to protect your property this will help to cut home insurance premiums and the Environment Agency has issued a ‘Preparing for Floods' guidance document that contains advice on simple, low-cost measures to limit damage.
Some of the suggestions to help cut premiums are:
Making sure important equipment and valuables are stored in dry areas.
Consider temporary flood barriers.
Consider fitting valves to prevent sewage flowing backwards.
Use materials that are more flood-resistant on floors, walls, etc.
Raise gas appliances and sockets above flood level.
Install flood defences within the landscaping of housing developments.
Clearly some of these suggestions are for builders rather than homeowners, but it is worth seeing how many are in place to help you secure cheaper home insurance.