Flooded council tenants had no insurance

Published by 24publishing for 24dash.com in Environment and also in Finance, Housing, Local Government

Council house tenants in Richmondshire are being urged to take home contents insurance after recent floods left some with huge repair bills.

Of the 16 homes flooded in the district last week, four didn't have insurance. Now the council is asking all its residents to check that they have adequate cover against theft, fire and weather damage.

Figures from the Environment Agency show that around 400 properties flooded across the country last week. Forecasters believe the deluge was caused by the worst September storm in more than 30 years.

Richmondshire District Council has now formed a partnership with Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance and the two have designed a home contents insurance package specifically for tenants. The package offers a flexible payment system and can be extended to cover personal belongings, hearing aids and wheelchairs.

Councillor Peter Wood, Member for Housing, wants tenants to be prepared for the worst. He said: “With flash flooding occurring more often, no resident can afford to take the risk of having no insurance.  This scheme is ideal - cover starts immediately and there is no excess payment to make when making a claim.”