watching the floods story on the news - 1 IN 4 households dont have house insurance

[nailpolish]

and they are calling on the government to help them out

if the government are willing ot help people out who dont have insurance, ie give them money i presume, then, er, why do i have insurance???

Hijack alert!

Naily, care to share where you found that info online? As you know we'll be moving soon, and although it will be to other, rented accommodation, we'll be looking to purchase out there in a couple of years and want to make sure we do our homework!

End hijack.

Nayone who thinks they are building on flood plains to save gree areas is having a alrf round here

there's loads of empty, ugly industrial alnd in the city

where is the proposed new estate?

on the site of the local WETLAND BIRD SANCTUARY

FFS

Same thing happened to us, Peachy.

We sold everything we could until DH could get a job to work round taking care of the girls and got paid for it.

I flogged, flogged, flogged.

Have to agree with Nailpolish on this one. I hope the people who didn't have insurance can get some help from second hand furniture donations etc... as I don't think anyone should have to suffer - but - I don't think they should be compensated financially. If you don't have insurance because you believe nothing will happen to you or you don't have anything of value then just think how much it would cost to actually replace everything in your home at once, I bet it's worth more than you think.

Wetland...I see a potential problem building on that...

(actually did I not see on the news that's now been scrapped as an idea)

Over here they are building thousands of tower flats on manmade piers jutting out into a bay.

And anyone who buys them is a sucker.

Most of the areas badly affected in Sheffield and Doncaster are not very well off areas TBH. I can understand why some don't have insurance - the cost is just too much for some families. It isn't a case of not getting insurance so they can have Sky or a plasma TV, more a case of not having insurance so they can clothe and feed their families in some circumstances. A lot affected are also elderly people, living on pensions trying to make ends meet. Insurance is a big chunk of such a low income, and food and heating bills have to be bigger prioities surely?

I agree that there will be a small percentage who don't have insurance because of their desire to have things like biug TVs, but the reality for many is it is simply too expensive when they have other, more important priorities - food, clothes, rent, etc.

Havign seen some of the devastation caused by these floods I feel dreadfully sorry for those affected. Having spoken to an older lady at work who has been badly flooded (she does have insurance fortunately) and seeing how near to tears she was talking about her losses and how long it will take for her to get back to normal at home, if ever, then I have full sympathy for these people.

The developers who build on flood plains however - now they should be paying up to help IMO!

expat im on the case

expat - put your postcode in here (right hand side). It should show a map of your area and the relevant flood risk.

environment agency flood risk

Yes, Speccy, that's right.

Sucks, but true.

Many of us have been there, bought the tshirt.

Speccy - as you say, contents insurance isn't high on your list of priorities at the moment.

I am talking about people who can afford insurance but make a conscious decision not to have it.

I said to DH there is a huge field near us that floods each year as it is next to the river

Now IF in the future, they built houses on there they could fit about 200 houses but they will deffo flood

It floods so deep that swans use it like a lake

EXPAT HERE

green = sea
blue = burn

i put in leith for interest - just put it any postcode and itll show you

So did we expat and we maintained our house insurance

but the time before it happened when dh lost his job (with no notice) we had nothing to sell at all- second hand sofa given to us because of its state, broken TV, the lot. No PC, car was off road and only worth £400 and wud have been needed for dh if he got a job 9were ina rurala rea then so no buses)- we were shfted

there were about 3 weeks when every single DD we had bounced, whislt things were sorted. When an insurance payment bounces they cancel your insurance. Dh used to terk 7 miles into town 4 days a week to go to the jobcentre. Clearly sky etc wweren't a priority as we still don't have them.

After a while things were all sorted, we got benefits until DH got a job (a few months as he was really ill at the time) and immediately sorted house insurance etc. But in that meantime the hosue could have burned down, it can happen any time.

I do agree that poeple SHOULD be insured of course I do. But I wouldargue for more empathy, as some peoles lifes are in transition and you cant tell that from outside can you?

One may well decide not to pay the costs for them and thats fair enough, but some empathy is not impossible to ask. I wouldn't suggest poeple give donations to the victims either asd eople are doing- I'd give them to their local furniture warehouse places, the ones run by the councils and voluntary agencies, where poeple can show benefits entitlements etc and then have access to reduced cost second hand furniture. I remember them kitting out a rehoused refuge family i worked with- brilliant organisations.

my dad always refused to pay for home contents insurance, and my mum used to run a catalogue to pay for it with the commission.
he was of the opinion that it would never happen to him.
he was a very stupid man in this respect

The area badly flooded in Sheffield is onlyconsidered a moderate risk of flooding:

The location you have selected is in an area that has a moderate chance of flooding. The chance of flooding each year is 1.3% (1 in 75) or less, but greater than 0.5% (1 in 200).

The area in Doncaster hitting the news is classed as low risk:

The location you have selected is in an area that is unlikely to flood except in extreme conditions. The chance of flooding each year is 0.5% (1 in 200) or less.

These were not areas expected to flood.

Speccy

If you wre near I'd give you my spare Telly, you could sell that

We don't have contents insurance. We do live in a low risk area, but I know we really should have got it. It's not like we can't afford it either.

We are emigrating soon and selling/giving away most of our stuff - only now are we realising how much we have and how much it will cost to replace. So we will be fully insured next time - we're just lucky that it didn't take a disaster to make us see the error of our ways.

I didn't say I had, Speccy. But I've been homeless before. More than once, even.

Taht meant no TV, DVD player, or computer with net access.

And I'm still alive.

Had other priorities besides those things, like getting a place to sleep that wasn't someone's couch or a man's bed, food, and electricity.

So don't presume, either.

Like I said, priorities.

Why should some poor ass min wage taxpayer have to subsidise someone else because their TV - which you have to pay license fees on here - was more important than contents insurance?

Thanks, naily .