Weather-related house claims rising says ABI

16th August, 2005

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has today warned that house insurance claims for weather-related incidents are increasing.

The need for home insurance is seriously emphasised by ABI's new figures showing that British insurance companies have paid £6 billion for damages caused by bad weather during last six years.

Speaking on BBC Radio Four’s Today ABI director Nick Starling said that there is 'a lot' homeowners can do to take preventative steps against flooding, which will help keep down premiums.

'A very simple example is that if you have stone floor or tile floor rather than a carpet then there is less damage if there is flood,' he suggested.

He added that homeowners who lived in flood-prone areas should still find it easy to obtain house insurance cover, using the example of homeowners in Boscastle, Cornwall were not having any major difficulties in purchasing new insurance policies

'The vast majority of people are able to get cover at competitive rates and that is because of the work that has gone on in flood prevention.

'There will be a very small number who will find it difficult; for example where flooding is inevitable,' he commented.

 

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