It’s actually more likely that your business will be flooded than make a claim for fire or theft.
Whilst flooding can cause damage to buildings, equipment and stock it is often the financial impact of a business not being able to trade that leads to many businesses permanently shutting their doors.
Environment Agency has estimated that 2.4 million properties in England are currently at risk of river or coastal flooding, and there are an additional 3 million properties at risk of surface water flooding; 600,000 of these are at risk of both.
With insurers using ever increasingly sophisticated flood data it is increasingly often the case that insurers are declining to offer flood insurance cover to existing or new policyholders and they are under no obligation to do so.
Unlike home insurance, there is no Flood Re equivalent scheme that offers cover for businesses and as a result many businesses are either choosing to or have no choice but to self insure and or install a range of flood resilient measures to protect their property. For businesses that have mortgages in place or require finance to grow not having insurance can be financially devastating.
What many business owners are not aware of is that it is possible to buy flood only cover. This is a separate insurance policy that runs independently and often alongside a business insurance policy that covers you for all other risks that your business may face.
What can I do if flood insurance is too expensive?
- Check your flood risk online at www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk
- Sign up to receive flood alerts and warnings from the Environment Agency
- You can register online at www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings or by calling the Floodline number on 0345 9881188
- Consider investing in Property Flood Resilience (PFR) and flood alleviation measures, such as flood barriers, pumps and racking
- Create a bespoke flood plan for your business
- Demonstrating that you are flood aware and have taken steps to mitigate your losses will make insuring your business a more attractive proposition to insurers
- Another option is to insure the flood excess on the lead policy in order that there are not multiple policies
To discuss the benefits of Flood Insurance, get in touch with a member of our team on 01509 274000 or email info@ajibl.com.
