Houses built on possible flood plain - refused insurance

clint_silver

couple I know bought a house off plans.

Just told me they cant get insurance due to possible flooding, some other houses in the estate theyve bought in did get insurance. where does this leave them?

Due to move in this week after waiting 8 months.

how does an insurance company think its a flood risk yet the builder got planning permission. Are the insurance company looking at different maps than them?

sydthebeat

clint_silver wrote: »

couple I know bought a house off plans.

Just told me they cant get insurance due to possible flooding, some other houses in the estate theyve bought in did get insurance. where does this leave them?

Due to move in this weyek after waiting 8 months.

how does an insurance company think its a flood risk yet the builder got planning permission. Are the insurance company looking at different maps then them?

In a word, yes.

An extensive flood plain survey was only completed by the opw on major water sources a couple of years ago. ... whereas planning permission for most estates would have been granted ten or more years ago in the main.

Due diligence on the part of the purchaser could have found this out.

clint_silver

sydthebeat wrote: »

In a word, yes.

An extensive flood plain survey was only completed by the opw on major water sources a couple of years ago. ... whereas planning permission for most estates would have been granted ten or more years ago in the main.

Due diligence on the part of the purchaser could have found this out.

thanks syd.


An entire estate in ashbourne is affected by this, everyone due to take up residency in the coming weeks. first fella to move in started ringing around looking for insurance, 1 refused, then all (obviously all looking at same opw data)

Should the purchasers found out about this flood plain survey themselves or is that a solicitors job? If theyed gone to local council and said "is this a flood plain", should that have been highlighted?

I would have thought builder would have known, otherwise he's left with rows of houses he cant sell.

Or is it gross negligence/ignorance all round?


edit: Just been told its some rows of houses affected, not entire estate.

sydthebeat

It's not unusual for parts of estates to be affected.

There are different degrees of flooding risk, eg I in 30 years or 1 in 100 years.

Apart for ringing around to more insurance companies, I can't think of any other advice.

How are mortgages being secured on these homes without insurance?

clint_silver

sydthebeat wrote: »

It's not unusual for parts of estates to be affected.

There are different degrees of flooding risk, eg I in 30 years or 1 in 100 years.

Apart for ringing around to more insurance companies, I can't think of any other advice.

How are mortgages being secured on these homes without insurance?

Id imagine it was offer stage and as theyre just coming to final sign off and drawing down the mortgage that this is coming out.

I offered same advice. keep ringing til you find someone and as this has only came out in last couple of hours things may not be as bad until picture comes clear, ie, what maps are insurance looking at, what maps were council looking at.

thanks again.

Carawaystick

clint_silver wrote: »

how does an insurance company think its a flood risk yet the builder got planning permission. Are the insurance company looking at different maps than them?

The builder is only looking to make money by selling the land + house. The insurance co is only looking to make money by not paying out for flood damage in a flood plain.

floodmaps.ie has 3 recurring flood areas in a basic search for Ashbourne.

clint_silver

Carawaystick wrote: »

The builder is only looking to make money by selling the land + house. The insurance co is only looking to make money by not paying out for flood damage in a flood plain.

floodmaps.ie has 3 recurring flood areas in a basic search for Ashbourne.

thanks for the link. quite out of date I would have said from personal knowledge of the area. I know of 2 other floods in last 2 years not on the map.