Flood insurance

Finding an insurer

If your property is at risk of flooding or has previously been flooded, it may be difficult to find an insurance company willing to sell you an affordable policy. The British Insurance Broker’s Association has details of brokers that specialise in properties that are difficult to insure. The government has also put together some guidance.

Flood Re

Flood Re is a joint government and insurance industry initiative to enable you to find affordable insurance for qualifying properties that are at risk of flooding or have been flooded.

Flood Re takes on the high flood risk elements of home insurance. Home insurers pay an annual tax which is collected and centrally managed. The high flood risk part of your policy is passed to Flood Re by your insurance company. If a valid claim is made on your insurance, Flood Re will reimburse the insurer from the centrally managed fund. More information can be found on the Flood Re website.

Insurance related request letter

Insurance companies may ask for an insurance-related request letter if your property is at risk of flooding. The information will be used to determine whether they'll insure you and how much it will cost.

The letter is free of charge for individuals and £60 for businesses, and will be sent within 20 working days. The letter is available by request directly from the Environment Agency.

The letter will explain:

  • If your property is in a flood risk area
  • How likely the area is to flood
  • The protection given by local flood defences
  • If there are any planned flood defences

Flood risk report

If flood protection work has been carried out on your property, you or a surveyor can complete a flood risk report to advise insurers how the work affects the flood risk.