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???

I think its also wotrth noting that insurance is irrelevant when it comes to the worst losses- the photographs, letters, mementos that make a life. That alone is enough to make me very [sd] for the poeple involved

Plus doesn't it take a while for insyrance to come through? You need ietms in the meantime

And of course the "meantime" can be months or even years. It's amazing that premiums you pay are hardly ever "lost", but a surprising number of claims get "misfiled".

Also you can't assume you will get the money. In this very particular case, I suspect the insurers realise that any serious attempt to defraud people will cause them a lot of harm because the media are sitting waiting for that sort of story.

And yes, of course there will be more exclusions and higher premiums next year, and since it's very unlikely that next time you flood that your house is on TV, they will take a much tougher line on claims.

I don't know your personal circumstances, of course, but if my insurance cost 800 quid, I'd be very tempted to just get structural insurance, and put the rest in the bank.

DC - it sounds like it's a much better investment to put monthly insurance payments in to a bank account which you never touch until situations like this.

One good thing about all the media attention on those who are struggling to get claims paid out, hopefully the insurance companies won't be able to squirm out of paying up!

sucha cpaitalist stance o take " whilst i feel sorry for them - i dont see why ihave to pay and they get theirs for free"

i mean jesus people whole LIVES havebeen dessimated.

Quite, Custy.

Sorry for not reading the whole thread but would like to comment as someone living in Hull (with insurance I might add).

The help being offered by the council, for which they are asking for further government aid, consists of:

Emergency accomodation (basic B&B, one room per family of upto 8)
restoration of power & heating
survey to identify repairs needed
assistance in drying property
advice & information

In addition, for the most vulnerable (disabled, elderly etc):

initial cleaning
free removal of flooring & plasterwork
help with replastering & basic decoration
some help towards increased electricity costs
assistance replacing essential items (ie cooker)

Other than that, nothing. Not a lot in comparision with the coverage you get with an insurance policy. So far my insurance claim is in the region of £10,000 for contents & the same again on buildings.

Thanks for that information StG.

There did seem to be a bit of an assumption that all those plasma screen televisions were going to be replaced at taxpayers' expense...

How's it all going StG? Although the only answer is no doubt like a bloody nightmare

Now I've started to read the thread but feel I have to comment again.

I agree that buying things like plasma TVs etc instead of buying insurance is stupid.

Only lots of these people don't buy the plasma TVs etc, they get them on meter schemes or weekly rental. They are now seriously screwed because they will have no insurance but will be expected to reimburse the rental company for the items.

A bloody nightmare Peachy.

Have to spend the next 6 months drying everything out. Then all floors downstairs have to be ripped up and replaced. All the skirting boards are ripped off and the bottom 2ft of plaster will probably have to go too. Kitchen to be ripped out, all white goods have to go etc etc.

I won't bore you with the rest

We had a flood in our utility room, a couple of inches deep, when a pipe broke. Fortunately it was contained in there, but the brickwork is still damp 6 weeks on.

What a nightmare for you.

Glad to hear about the insurance

so waswondering, what will you do with the poeple who are refused insurance then? It ahppens a lot- area they live, occupation, claim history

arrest them?

But how can you force a prvate enterprise to take on a risk?

if you said for example, Black horse you must insure X- why not Virgin? Or Morethan? etc

Doa gree wrong but its very much the way it is. And its not just flood plains is it- or just new ones- the Somerset levels have flooded for , well since the days of Avalon anyway. Then there's poelpe who live in certain postcodes targeted by druggies, etc. Who also cant get it. But you cant blame the planers there.

It's about people's priorities. For a lot of people their highest priorities are the latest phone, trainers, TV, or even the "best" stroller / pushchair.

And I would be prepared to bet my bottom pound where they get their money from to get these "necessities".

And these will be the same people who cry poor over no insurance, and then demand the govt help them out.....

iT snot always about rpriorities

soem poele are denied insurance ffs

you cant just judge everybody wothout knowing them

women dischrged from refuges often dont take insurance. why? because they'r too damned scared to give their details to someone to keep on a database

Some religious groups dontt ake insurance because theyc ant afford it all up front and their relihgion forbades them apying interest which the companies demand

some just cannot afford it because theyre coping with debt or have left work to care for someone and are tryong to pay a mrotgage.

Yes some people are pretty irresponisible but to say that all people are is unfair

Just read a BBC report on the floods in Hull - one resident is quoted as saying "I think it's good he's come but I'm still sitting on contaminated furniture. My 10-year-old son has got asthma and the situation is dire.

"People like us without insurance need help now. I think it is good he has come, but let's hope it's not all talk."

But why don't they have insurance? I think we (and the Govt) need to know before the money starts being handed out. Is that unreasonable?

If someone as a widescreen TV, a PS2, a DVD player etc. etc. (which all seem to be commonplace these days, though not in this house) then they can afford insurance IMO. Unless of course there's another reason why they can't get it. But it wouldn't be because of being in a flood zone - we are and they have to insure us.

I am so glad that we were not flooded. We had a plumbing problem a couple of years ago that destroyed our front room (the ceiling fell in and crushed everything flat) and that took about six months to get back to normal.

I can't imagine the disruption these people are going through. Ok - so not being insured was a mistake for these folk - but what about the children? They need a decent bed to sleep in and a kitchen to cook in at least. I am not suggesting that the government step in with plasma screen tellys but vulnarable oaps and children need to be looked after now.