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Flooding

How to protect your home in case of a flood.

Apart from all the heartache and disruption a flood can bring, the cost of putting things right can be huge. So it’s important to have insurance cover if you’re at risk of:

  • Surface flooding from heavy rain or burst pipes.
  • An inland waterway bursting its banks.
  • Seawater breaking through coastal defences.

Flood insurance, or flood risk insurance, can cover your home and its contents if they’re damaged or destroyed by floods. Flood insurance is usually a standard part of the buildings insurance for your home. But it won’t cover your belongings unless you have contents insurance too.

If you’re at risk of flooding you should check that your insurance covers the cost of things like:

  • A place for you and your family to stay if you can’t live in your home.
  • Drying out and restoring your home and its fixtures and fittings.
  • Repair or replacement of your damaged furniture and belongings.
  • Fees charged by solicitors, surveyors or builders.

You should always check the terms and conditions of your policy. There will be limits, and you may need some specialist cover.

Tips for preparing for floods

A flood can be hard to prepare for. It may strike suddenly and spread quickly. You need as much advance warning as you can get. Time is vital for you to take steps to protect your home.

Check a flood map for where you live

Check all the details in your buildings and contents insurance policies to do with flooding

  • Even if your insurance isn’t up for renewal, it’s still worth checking.
  • Call your insurance company if there is anything you’re not sure of.
  • Your insurer may ask you about previous flooding at your home. If you're not sure, the environmental agency for where you live may be able to help. They'll also be able to tell you if your home is at risk of flooding. 

Other things that can help you reduce your flood risk

  • Sign up for flood warnings.
  • Join a flood action group.
  • Use products that help keep flood water out of your home, such as air brick covers and sand bags.
  • Find out how you can get involved with public consultations or local flood risk management.

How Halifax can help

Halifax Buildings insurance protects against flood damage for your home and its outbuildings. Halifax Contents insurance protects the things inside your home.

Select the insurance options that are right for you

Choose whether you need buildings, contents or a combined policy. We offer three levels of cover for each: 
Bronze, Silver and Gold. The level of cover you need will be individual to you.

What’s included with Halifax combined building and contents policies?

  • The costs of repairing or rebuilding your home, and repairing or replacing your contents. This includes your outbuildings and the things in them, gates, fences, paths, driveways and patios
  • A place to stay if you can't live in your home due to flooding
  • Replacements for locks and keys.

If your claim is complex we may send a Personal Claims Consultant to help you take stock of the damage. They will help you all the way through the claims process.

With all of our cover, there are limits, terms and exclusions.

 

What’s not covered?

We won’t pay claims for contents that are damaged by a flood while they’re in the open.

What to do if your home is damaged by a flood

  1. Get in touch as soon as you can to let us know what’s happened. You can make a claim online or call us.
  2. Remove any damaged contents. Don’t throw them away as you may need them later for your claim.
  3. Keep samples of your carpets and rugs if you can.
  4. Take photographs and make a list of all damaged items to help support your claim.

Flood Re – help for those in high risk areas

In recent years, those who live in high risk areas have struggled to find affordable insurance for their homes. The Government has worked with leading insurers such as Halifax to set up Flood Re. It's a not-for-profit scheme that offers insurance cover for such people.

In high risk areas Flood Re aims to:

  • Make sure that people who live in homes that are eligible can get affordable buildings and contents insurance.
  • Help local authorities and communities be better prepared for flooding.
  • Help UK insurers to offer affordable and appropriate policies for those at risk of flooding.

Find out if your home is eligible for insurance supported by Flood Re.

 

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10% cheaper when you get your quote and buy online. Read about our online price.

 

Get a quote now

Retrieve a quote

Halifax Home Insurance Select underwritten by Lloyds Bank General Insurance Limited.

Halifax is a division of Bank of Scotland plc. Registered in Scotland No. SC327000. Registered Office: The Mound, Edinburgh EH1 1YZ. Bank of Scotland plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 169628.