Flood Risk Insurance in Northern Ireland

In 2008 the agriculture minister for Northern Ireland stated that there are over 63,000 properties that are at risk of flooding in the country. The reasons given for this figure were overflowing rivers and raising sea levels caused by climate change and the fact that demand for housing means that at risk areas are increasingly being built on.

Flood risk insurance in Northern Ireland is offered by a number of companies who offer flood insurance quotes, either as a stand alone policy or as part of a broader home insurance policy. You are likely to be faced with the prospect of paying higher premiums if you live in an area that is designated as having a high risk of flooding. You can avoid these higher premiums by making improvements to your home or by going to companies that specialise in providing flood risk insurance in Northern Ireland.

The tables on this page feature a number of the biggest providers offering flood and home insurance. There are a number of practical steps that you can take to limit the damage caused by any future floods, thereby lowering the cost of repairs and the price of flood insurance premiums:

• Making sure that boilers and gas meters are moved onto the upper floors of your property above the level of a flood
  Installing one way valves on your pipes so that sewage and waste does not flow back into your house and cause extensive damage
• Replacing certain materials such as chipboard and plaster with water resistant materials such as plastic
• Replacing concrete floors with wooden ones covered in tiles
• If it is possible to make landscape changes to your garden to improve drainage

This changes could have the effect of making the flood insurance quotes offered to you for flood risk insurance in Northern Ireland more affordable.