What Your Flood Insurance Covers

By Peter Finch

If you are planning to get a flood insurance cover but do not have the time to go to the providers in your area, you have one option and that is to apply online. The internet can help you choose an insurance policy provider who will fit your needs and you can fill in necessary forms online.
This method however, may confuse you if you do not look at the fine prints for particular policies very closely. Here are a few tips when you apply for a flood insurance cover online.

Most of the insurance companies provide contents insurance policies against both man-made and natural calamities like theft and vandalism, fire, explosions, slippage, burst pipes, earthquakes, water or oil leakage, severe weather like storms, lightening, floods, and others. In all these emergencies, you need protection for your property or a replacement when damage or loss could not be avoided.

In the UK, flooding insurance is available for you as a customer but you have to visit the insurance providers or browse through the internet to find one which is not only inexpensive but also meet your needs.

Two of the most commonly offered flood insurance policies in the UK are the buildings cover and home contents cover. The home contents insurance cover in the UK is designed to cover your personal belongings and almost everything you own. Home contents cover could include household goods and items, computer equipments, furniture and furnishings, kitchen equipment, video, audio equipments, and other personal belongings. These contents could be replaced or covered by your insurance policy when these are lost or damaged beyond repair due to floods.

Buildings insurance cover on the other hand protects the basic building or structure of your house or property. This means your insurance policy will cover the windows, floors, walls, outbuildings like garage and shed or permanent fixtures like kitchens, toilets and baths, interior decorations and even bedroom cupboards.

When you only get contents cover, only your personal belongings and valuables that you can take away from your house will be under the flooding insurance policy. Buildings cover includes those fixtures that you can not remove from your house even when you move to a new location.

A buildings insurance will cover the loss or damage of the actual structure and fittings of your home in case of flood. It is therefore important that the buildings cover you get should be enough or more than enough to cover the rebuilding cost of your house. Your insurance policy provider usually estimates the rebuilding costs of your house and structures so you will know what level of insurance cover you need.

Your house and house contents face risks of damage from many calamities, flood included so you must realize by now how important a flood insurance policy is. Do not wait to be a victim of calamities like floods without a proper cover. Spending a few hundred pounds for insurance could spell the difference in your life.

If you are looking for information or advice on flood insurance or flood plain insurance or what your flood insurance covers, visit us now. FloodInsuranceAdvice.com is a goldmine for information on all aspects of flood insurance.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Finch

Home Insurance- Prepare For Flood Risk

By Chris Rowlands

According to a report released by the Met office; the organisation who supply environmental and weather related services, there may be further localised flooding to come. After the brief interlude of the last week in which we finally received a touch of summer weather it is forecast that we will now see heavy precipitation for the rest of the week to come and indeed the remainder of august. This presents a risk of further flooding for those living in and around already inundated flood plains.

An estimated £3 billion worth in claims were received by house insurance companies following the earlier flooding. They will be keen to avoid further claims due to renewed flooding. With this in mind one high street bank, namely; Halifax has released a guide to help those at risk of further flooding to help ensure as little damage as possible.

Firstly and perhaps a matter of common sense, they suggest you place sandbags around entrances to your property to help hold back any ensuing barrage should a flood be deemed imminent. You should follow this with removing your electrical devices to the second floor of your home, or perhaps loft if you live in a bungalow. Please do not try to carry the freezer up the stairs single handedly as this could result in a different kind of claim. Joking aside, any precaution you can take to prevent possessions being damaged should be taken. Once this has been carried out, or perhaps first on reflection, switch off the mains supply if you can to prevent shortage or possible electrocution due to water ingress.

The company also suggest keeping home insurance documents close at hand especially in times of high risk so as to be able to respond as quickly as possible to a claim.

If you are thinking of purchasing a property it would be advisable to run a check before committing to purchase to find out flood plain status. If you find the property is built on a flood plain; as are 2.2 million homes in the UK, you should not see this as a major cause for concern as the weather we have received this summer is deemed a once in a century event. It is worth taking note of and checking if it will affect the cost of your home insurance premium however as some insurers have predicted increases. It has been speculated that some insurers may cease cover in these areas. Again this is only theory and should not be a cause for alarm.

The best advice I can give for those of you who may live in these area’s is to keep yourself updated via the Met office and look out for any flood warnings by checking local weather forecasts and listening to the radio where possible. Remember “attack is the best form of defence” in this case attack can be likened to preparation, with this is mind ensuring you are one step ahead and prepared for flooding you should greatly reduce your risks of damage to your possessions and home.

House insurance companies reportedly received over £3 billion worth of claims after the flooding of June/July.

Ensure your home insurance policy is up to date and close at hand in case of further flooding.

Small Businesses Affected By The Floods Get Help

By Andrew Regan

The recent torrential rainfall that has plagued parts of the country has had a devastating, potentially fatal effect on thousands of small businesses throughout the UK. In the space of five weeks, severe flooding has impacted on almost 500,000 properties in the north-east, midlands, south-west and south-east of the UK, with many small businesses included in amongst those casualties. With gloomy estimates of around six months or longer to get the affected areas back into full-working order, can these small businesses survive or will many be shutting up shop this year?

Whether traditional bricks and mortar or the new breed of small business that is thriving solely on the web, the floods hit a wide variety of enterprises. Thankfully, help is at hand jointly from the Federation of Small Businesses and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The FSB has recently announced a £500k relief fund offering members interest free loans to help them through the recovery time, and the HMRC is to offer tax assistance to those affected by the recent floods.

Acting as a business finder for the local community, the FSB also protects and promotes the interests of the self-employed and all those who run their own businesses and recently applauded the HMRC decision. The FSB National Chairman John Wright said:

"I warmly welcome the decision by HMRC to offer businesses help with their taxes in the short term as they recover from the floods. All assistance is gratefully received as the flood waters recede and this will go a long way to ensure that more businesses can remain solvent until they can trade again."

In addition to the HMRC help, the FSB are offering each affected member interest-free loans of up to £5,000 from the relief fund in a move that should help local businesses cope better with the floods aftermath.

However, there is a silver lining for small businesses near the flood areas that have not been directly affected by the disastrous consequences of the floods. There will inevitably be a huge demand for local traders and small businesses to help in the effort to restore homes to their former glory, and to supply white goods, carpets, curtains and furniture ruined by the floods. No doubt flood affected householders will be frantically searching their local business listings to find tradesmen who can help repair and restore their homes and supply replacement goods. Indeed, some of the badly hit small businesses may be helped on the fast track to recovery, and in return may be able to help other flood-hit businesses to remain solvent via their own trade.
Andrew Regan is a freelance online journalist.