Insurance and Experts
Insurance
Flood Re was founded as a reinsurance scheme that makes flood cover more affordable and available for homeowners. To see if your building is eligible for Flood Re, check your eligibility.
You can shop for policies via price comparison websites or insurance brokers. If you are having difficulty securing insurance via traditional channels, you can find a specialist insurer via the Flood Re tool.
Flood Re has created the Build Back Better scheme, which is designed to reduce the cost and impact of future floods by including Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures as part of post-flood repairs. PFR measures up to the value of £10,000 may be installed when repairing an eligible property after a flood. Householders should contact their insurer to check their eligibility for the Build Back Better scheme.
Experts
It is important to ensure that work is carried out by suitably qualified contractors with experience in water damage recovery, restoration and traditional buildings.
If a building is badly flooded, the insurer is likely to use a variety of specialists. They may include: a loss adjuster, a surveyor, architect or structural engineer, specialist cleaning and drying companies and professional builders and decorators.
The loss adjuster will assess the potential for secondary damage, prior to recommending control and mitigation measures and assessing the cost of replacements and repairs.
Do not assume that the building fabric cannot be restored; wholesale replacement of fabric in traditionally constructed buildings is rarely needed. Various furnishings, fittings, plaster and woodwork can be recovered and may not require stripping out.
Insurers and loss adjusters will only employ contractors that meet their criteria to do the work. A great deal of damage can be caused by contractors who have little or no experience of working with historic buildings.
If you are not happy with the proposed work or contractor, you may be able to opt for a cash settlement. That way, you can choose your own contractors and specify works that are appropriate.
It is worth noting that many insurers and loss adjusters will discuss with you whether you would like the repairs to be more resistant or resilient in the future. This gives you the opportunity to reinstate lost features, such as lime plaster and stone flooring, to make the building more recoverable in the future. This may mean employing specialist contractors. If such work is more expensive than reinstating the building to its pre-flood condition, you may have to pay the difference.