Help please - we are getting desperate.....
We are in the middle of selling our house but we found out yesterday that the whole thing might fall through because our buyers are being refused buildings insurance.
The house is in a postcode area that was affected by floods but was not affected itself. This seems like such a riduculous over-reaction by the insurance companies it's beyond belief... There was a guy on the news last night saying that this is a kneejerk reaction and things should get back to normal, but that might not be quick enough for us :confused: - please please please does anybody know of any insurance companies that are prepared to insure properties in S6?????

It has been said that a lot of insurers are not insuring anything in Sheffield, however we are currently buying a house and have had no trouble getting quotes from Direct Line. Our house is in S2 though which was not affected at all so don't know if they would do S6, could be worth a try though...

Nope - Direct Line were no go for S6. In fact their advisor was the most ignorant and unhelpful person I spoke to yesterday...

Long shot, however, Norwich Union Direct have a digital flood map which may be of help. They can assess your flood risk right down to your house number, the answer may still be no, alternatively can your current insurer not continue to keep the risk for the buyers?

I know that is what happens with subsidence risks.

About 16:30 minutes (moving bar forward) into the 08.00 - 08.30 segment (from scrolling down) of today's Today programme the head of the Association of British Insurers talks about this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/

I can't access the sound file at work - can you give a synopsis of what they say???
Somebody has just told me that Direct Line and Churchills have been told to lift their embargo on Sheffield properties - can anyone confirm this??

Have you tried just going on a site like moneysupermarket and seeing what quotes come back? Least you'd have a pretty comprehensive list of insurers to call then if nothing else.

can you give a synopsis of what they say???


The gist of it was that insurance companies do not blacklist any areas because of flood risk. .

With regard to taking out a new insurance policy: a new policy will only cover any further or additional damage. Understandably, from the point of view of the insurance companies, they will not pick up the tab for any previously existing damage. A detailed log of previously existing damage would, I presume, be needed before a new policy could be taken out. So, as I understand it, if there was to be a further flood (heaven forbid) in the next few weeks the new policy would only pay out in respect of any [I]further damage, eg if the water level went higher.

In your case, as your property was not affected you should be OK - but maybe somebody has to visit to certify that that is the case?

Can you get an insurance broker?
http://www.abi.org.uk/Display/Display_Popup/default.asp?Menu_ID=1140&Menu_All=1,946,1140&Child_ID=372#Where
http://www.abi.org.uk/Display/default.asp?Menu_ID=773&Menu_All=1,773,0&Child_ID=796

You can check with the Environment Agency to see whether your area is part of the risk area or not, and then approach the actual insurer to tell them of this risk factor. Read the above articles, it'll explain it more.

Nope - Direct Line were no go for S6. In fact their advisor was the most ignorant and unhelpful person I spoke to yesterday...


This is ridiculous! Obviously these people have never been to S6 and seen that much of it is located at the top of some very steep hills! Why can't they use the environment agency's info which provides very local risk information on flooding, instead of branding the whole postcode as a bad risk? I used to live in S6 - I would have been tempting to ask them if they are aware that an apocalypse was close, because that's what it would have taken to be flooded where I used to live!

there was a news item on the star website I think earlier this week- worth checking- their reporter contacted several insurers anonymously to see if they were blacklisting areas not actaully hit by the flood - it listed the ones that said they would still insure - think it included Co-op- check the star website, if you get chance- i cant search at mo xK

As Foxy says, Norwich Union will quote as they are the only ones I know who have their own flood mapping system. Everyone else relies on the Environmental Agency.

I've just used www.confused.com for household contents on my postcode in S11 and had a respectable number of quotes. As there doesnt seem to be any significant increase in the premiums since I first used the site in May, it seems a fair number of the insurers have reviewed their initial blanket, knee-jerk reaction.

I think it's also fair to say that some of the insurers's from May 2007 are still not quoting for Sheffield as a whole regardless of whether or not an area has been affected by flood damage.