How to cope after flooding hits your home

We all suspected it and it has now been confirmed that 2012 was one of the wettest years in history. I think from what I read that 2012 was the second wettest year, with the year 2000 being the wettest ever. And sadly, for many people they have had to suffer extensive water damage to their homes following all the bad weather and flooding. However, if this is the first time that this has happened to you, and you have no idea where to start, then what do you do when making a claim on your insurance? To start the insurance process and to make a claim, you must contact your insurance company as quickly as possible and ask them to send you a claim form ASAP. This could also be sent to you via email to quicken the claims process. Ensure that you complete the claim form carefully and ALWAYS try and keep a copy for yourself. ALWAYS check the following points before you send off your insurance claim: - You are now within your insurance policy time limits to make a claim. - You are covered within your insurance policy for what you are claiming for. - How much is your insurance policy excess. The insurance policy excess is the amount of money that your insurer will take off your claim. Therefore, it may not be worthwhile making a claim if the amount you are claiming for is less than this. - ALWAYS check the insurance policy small print. Always ensure that there is nothing within the Terms & Conditions that stops you from making a claim. - ALWAYS check the insurance policy to find out whether it's a new for old policy. If the insurance policy isn't, the amount that you would get for the items you are claiming for will be less than the cost of replacing them all. This is because the insurance company will take off money for wear and tear. - It is always sensible to provide as much information as part of the insurance claim as possible. Therefore, you will need to include copies of all your paperwork that will help you progress your claim. For example, include receipts and medical certificates. You should also always keep copies of the originals just in case your claim is queried or even denied or refused.

- Your insurance company may ask you if you have other insurance policies that might cover your claim. Therefore, you will need to let them know if you have other insurance policies that might also offer cover, such as your home contents insurance for example. - It is very important not to exaggerate your insurance claim as this will likely lead to your entire insurance claim being rejected if found to be false. - If you are making a large insurance claim you may want to use a loss assessor, a loss assessor can help you prepare your insurance claim and also arrange for your items to be valued.