Is flood damage covered by home insurance after Storm Boelo

Largs woke up to water in the shops on Sunday. As Storm Boelo cleared, Insurance Business reported flooded town-centre businesses in North Ayrshire, a second death, and another yellow wind warning running through Tuesday.

For households the question is simple. Is flood damage covered by my home insurance? Usually yes, but not always, and the gaps sit where people rarely look.

Start with the numbers. A Bank Underground model by Bank of England staff, published in May, says most mortgagors hold buildings and contents cover that includes flood, but puts the share without it at about 5 per cent today. Once Flood Re ends in 2039, it estimates that could rise to between 6.8 and 10.2 per cent by 2050, up to 910,000 households.

Flood Re is the scheme that keeps cover affordable for high-risk homes. Its eligibility rules exclude homes built on or after 1 January 2009, so a newer house in a flood-risk area is priced on its own risk.

Then there is the water nobody expects. Aviva warned on 23 October that with parts of the country still in drought, rain may not drain away quickly, and that surface water floods can happen anywhere, more often in towns where drains are overwhelmed.

Hold those two facts together. Most homes are covered, and the ones that are not often find out only when the water is in the hall. You do not need to live near a river to make a flood claim.

If you have flooded, tell your insurer before you strip anything out. Photograph every room and the waterline, keep damaged items or samples, note the date and time, and ask what your policy pays for somewhere else to stay. If you rent, the building is usually your landlord’s to insure, but your belongings need a contents policy of your own.

Check your policy schedule for the word flood tonight, not after the next warning.