AA Insurance has asked the government to continue investing in flood defences as well as suggesting local councils should not approve building in high risk areas.
The floods of last year were exacerbated by the inability of the drainage systems to take the water away, aspects that the government can have a big say in. Around 180,000 claims were made last year following the floods said AA Insurance, costing insurers some GBP3 billion. There were also many people without home insurance who suffered as well, highlighting the need for both buildings and contents insurance to protect the most valuable assets people have.
Looking to the future there may be a situation where insurers like AA Insurance and others refuse to cover people for flood damage unless steps are taken to improve the defences available. Such a scenario would be a nightmare for homeowners of course. An alternative may be higher premiums, though the increase would be large in order to cover the potential risk, again leading to many consumers being unable to afford the cover they need.
According to a recent study by the Halifax there is over GBP50 billion worth of jewellery in UK homes, with each house having just under GBP2,000 worth on average.
Although the average figure is around GBP2,000 there are around 5 million homes where there is over GBP5,000 worth of jewellery and surprisingly the Halifax has found that over a third of them have never had their items valued. This is an important aspect since valuables should be listed individually on home insurance policies to ensure they are covered.
Geographically the places with the most jewellery in their homes are Preston and Milton Keynes so they are urged to make sure they have their items valued said a Halifax spokesman. This way they will know their home insurance is doing the job it is supposed to do.
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Results from a recent Sainsburys Bank survey show around 4.7 million adults in the UK are without home contents insurance cover.
The most insured area in the UK is Yorkshire and Humberside, where 96 percent of people have contents insurance. This contrasts with London, the least insured place in the country, where only 78 percent of people have cover. Sainsburys Bank urge people without home insurance to get cover as it offers peace of mind and financial cover for what can end up as a significant sum.
With regard to the reasons for not having contents insurance the main reason given was that it simply was not required. This was followed by it being too costly. A Sainsburys Bank spokesman suggested these people should firstly tot up the value of their possessions and then check online to see how inexpensive home contents insurance can be.