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Property/DIY

Distance from watercourse - insurance flood risk?

3 replies

habbibu · 24/06/2012 22:40

Argh. Trying to renew insurance, and this year we're being asked distance from watercourse - we live on the banks on a big river (which never floods), and we are about 100 feet above sea level, so it would have to be the first tsunami in Scotland to touch us, but as the crow flies we appear to be very near to the river. I've looked at the SEPA flood risk map, which seems to say that all the houses (which are at least 80ft above the river) are ok - just the beach itself marked in green, but will insurers accept this? they don't seem to offer the option to explain that we might be near the river, but very high up.

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frostyfingers · 25/06/2012 11:40

Get your insurers to look at the map themselves - although that's no guarantee as the EA map of where we used to live showed us as likely to be underwater (having never flooded, not even in 2007), whilst properties that did flood, and had done previously are marked as out of their area. The EA map does not show contours either so make sure the SEPA one does. I have to say that this problem is one reason that we moved, the risk, not of flooding, but of pig headed insurers causing problems was one we no longer wanted to take.

If that fails, it may be worth getting a surveyor - perhaps there's such a thing as an environmental one - to do a report for you. It would cost, but may help if you want to sell one day.

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Pendeen · 25/06/2012 11:55

Various consultants' websites:

AAH

GTA

Cole Easdon

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habbibu · 25/06/2012 21:48

Thanks. I took the easy way out - reinsured with Aviva, which just ask
asked about history of flooding. The whole distance thing is just stupid.

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