0:00:02 > 0:00:05We asked YOU to tell us what's left you feeling totally ripped off,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07and you contacted us in your thousands.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11You've told us about the companies you think get it wrong, and
0:00:11 > 0:00:14the customer service that simply isn't up to scratch.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17There's a lot of blurb written down, but in practice
0:00:17 > 0:00:19the words are absolutely meaningless!
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I mean, people just can't afford these prices, it's ridiculous!
0:00:22 > 0:00:26You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29and investigate the extra charges that you say are unfair.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32They're in a win-win situation and you're in a lose-lose situation.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36If you don't do something about it, you think it's your own fault.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And when you've lost out but nobody else is to blame,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45you've come to us to stop others falling into the same trap.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48So whether it's a blatant rip-off or a genuine mistake...
0:00:48 > 0:00:52We're here to find out why you're out of pocket
0:00:52 > 0:00:54and what you can do about it.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59Your stories, your money. This is Rip Off Britain
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Hello, and thank you for joining us on Rip Off Britain.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Of course, today, it's a beautiful sunny day
0:01:06 > 0:01:08but we're talking about a great British obsession.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Because there's no doubt about it, our green and pleasant land
0:01:11 > 0:01:15is only so very green because we get a lot of one thing - rain!
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And in recent years we've been getting a lot more of it than
0:01:18 > 0:01:21we used to, with huge swathes of the country submerged under
0:01:21 > 0:01:24flood water that's collected after either days upon
0:01:24 > 0:01:27days of steady downpours or that sudden massive storm.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31And it's when we get more rain than the drains can handle,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34or the ground simply can't cope with so much water, that the
0:01:34 > 0:01:38damage begins and those who are affected will obviously look
0:01:38 > 0:01:41to their insurance companies to help foot the bill to put things right.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45But as the people in today's programme, including me,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47I have to say, have found out,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51it's not just the ground that can't always cope with extreme weather.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Yes, the insurance companies themselves can also struggle
0:01:55 > 0:01:57to cope with the damage that heavy rain causes.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00As a result, as many of you will have noticed, premiums have gone up.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04Some people are now finding it hard to get cover at all, and a number
0:02:04 > 0:02:07of homeowners like our very own Angela here, that one there, have
0:02:07 > 0:02:11suddenly been told that their properties, which never used to be classed
0:02:11 > 0:02:15as "at risk" have now been recategorised as being in danger.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19So as we explore some of the fallout of our extreme weather,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22you may well find some unwelcome surprises about the insurance
0:02:22 > 0:02:25you've got on your home, too.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Coming up - what's more shocking,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31a 20-foot deep hole suddenly appearing in your back garden
0:02:31 > 0:02:34or the almost equally deep pockets you'll need to repair it?
0:02:34 > 0:02:38It was a horrible time. I was going to bed crying,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42getting up in the morning, looking through the bathroom window, and I
0:02:42 > 0:02:47can see the hole. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I was just crying.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51And navigating the murky waters of the insurance industry to find
0:02:51 > 0:02:55out why homeowners nowhere near water are suddenly being told
0:02:55 > 0:02:56they're at greater risk of flooding.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Can I just take you to task on that?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00You say that's better for the consumer. No, it's not,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04because that means every insurance company can set their own rules.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Now, of all the disasters we worry about what might
0:03:10 > 0:03:13affect our homes, the dramatic appearance in the back garden of an
0:03:13 > 0:03:17enormous 20-foot deep hole probably isn't going to be one of them.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21But that's exactly what happened to Gretel Davidson.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23A huge sinkhole, often linked to heavy rain,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26arrived from absolutely nowhere in the middle of her lawn.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30And while such incidents are still thankfully rare, trying to
0:03:30 > 0:03:33put things right has thrown up some facts about her insurance
0:03:33 > 0:03:37that might well surprise you about your own home cover as well.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42When there are kids around, if there's one place you might
0:03:42 > 0:03:45hope they'd be fairly safe, it's in your back garden.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Potential dangers should be pretty limited.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And you certainly wouldn't expect the ground to suddenly open up beneath you.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- Are you Gretel?- I'm Gretel. - I'm Gloria.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03But in February 2014, the ground DID suddenly open
0:04:03 > 0:04:07up in the south-east London garden of Gretel Davidson,
0:04:07 > 0:04:13right next to the trampoline her daughter Maya loves to play on.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- Right, so this is where it all happened, Gretel?- Yeah.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18The trampoline was here,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20and the hole would just be... Hole's just here.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22And then is this is where the hole was, then?
0:04:22 > 0:04:25That's right. We mark it by the fence.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27The fence is slightly dipped.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31So, in actual fact, if Maya had been on the trampoline, the whole thing
0:04:31 > 0:04:33could have gone right down, couldn't it?
0:04:33 > 0:04:37- And this is actually quite uneven still, isn't it, really? - Yeah, it is quite uneven.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39- So it's settling a bit?- Yeah, it's
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- settling a bit.- But how did you react when you saw it?
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Well, I screamed first of all. I went, "No! Why me?!"
0:04:45 > 0:04:48And how big was this hole when you saw it for the first time?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Well, I didn't know how deep it was and how wide it was,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54but I had somebody from the council
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and he said that it's 20-foot deep and eight-foot wide.
0:04:56 > 0:04:5920ft deep?!
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- And eight-foot wide. - Oh, my goodness.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Now, while coming home to find a sinkhole in your garden is,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09thank goodness, rare, there was quite a spate of them
0:05:09 > 0:05:11this particular winter.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15In fact, according to the British Geological Survey, there were
0:05:15 > 0:05:1918 instances of sinkholes and similar ground collapses reported
0:05:19 > 0:05:22to them in February 2014, a nine-fold increase
0:05:22 > 0:05:24in what is regarded as normal.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Sinkholes are a product of erosion in existing underground
0:05:27 > 0:05:31cavities, and are linked to periods of high rainfall.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33So it is no coincidence that these incidents all
0:05:33 > 0:05:36followed what the Met Office described as, "One of the most
0:05:36 > 0:05:41exceptional periods of winter rainfall in at least 248 years."
0:05:41 > 0:05:44And some geologists predict that as our winters get wetter
0:05:44 > 0:05:47we're likely to see more of them.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Let's talk to Maya, because she was the very, very first
0:05:49 > 0:05:51one, your daughter was the first one who saw it.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Yeah, she was.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Maya spotted the hole when she returned home from school
0:05:56 > 0:05:58and saw it through her bedroom window.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01She immediately rang her mum at work at the local hospital.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03After trying to calm her daughter down,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Gretel asked for the rest of the day off and headed back to the house.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Meanwhile, Maya followed the natural instinct to take a closer
0:06:09 > 0:06:11look at what had happened
0:06:11 > 0:06:14As I walked up, I looked down and there was a massive hole,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16and I saw two tunnels.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19And at that point I was just panicking, cos I didn't know what to do.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- I bet you were scared? - Yeah. I was scared as well, cos when I saw it I had to jump back
0:06:23 > 0:06:25a little bit because I didn't really want to fall in there.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Just thank God that the weather was bad,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31cos she could have been jumping on the trampoline
0:06:31 > 0:06:33and who knows what could have happened?
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Unsure what to do, Gretel called the council, who visited the house
0:06:37 > 0:06:40but told her that, because all this had happened on her own property,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44they couldn't help, recommending she got in touch with her insurer.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47So Gretel called her insurance company, Halifax, who next
0:06:47 > 0:06:52day visited the house to inspect and photograph the hole.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54The insurance company came and said to me,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58"I'm very sorry, but there's nothing we can do about it."
0:06:58 > 0:06:59On what grounds?
0:06:59 > 0:07:03It was because it was too far away from the house.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05It hasn't caused the building any damage.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10There's no subsidence or anything like that.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Halifax confirmed all this in a letter which made
0:07:15 > 0:07:17clear that the costs of refilling the hole were not
0:07:17 > 0:07:21covered by her policy, because damage to garden features is excluded
0:07:21 > 0:07:26if there was no damage caused to the house itself at the same time.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I bet you were sinking nearly as low as the hole.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32I did everything I possibly can for Halifax to pay,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34and they refused to pay. I was just beside myself.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38I was very, very, very unhappy and I just started crying because I just
0:07:38 > 0:07:42didn't know who to phone, I didn't know who to phone or what to do.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46And while a sinkhole is not the usual thing an insurer might have
0:07:46 > 0:07:50to deal with, you may be surprised to realise it IS quite
0:07:50 > 0:07:53normal for damage to a garden that doesn't affect the house to
0:07:53 > 0:07:56be excluded from your home insurance.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Your garden does not come under your buildings
0:07:59 > 0:08:03insurance, and it's not something classed as contents, either.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06So if anything even remotely similar were to happen in your garden,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09chances are you would be stuck with any resulting costs as well.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Because it isn't going to be included in standard home cover.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16The only way to avoid those extra costs would be to get some sort
0:08:16 > 0:08:20of separate cover for the garden but that's not widely available.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Gretel was left with no choice but to commission a structural
0:08:23 > 0:08:27report and employ her own builder to fill in the hole.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32So now it's all down to you, how did you cope from a money point of view?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34My dad died two years ago
0:08:34 > 0:08:38and I had £5,000, which we was going to put
0:08:38 > 0:08:43a headstone on my dad's grave, so I had to phone my family up
0:08:43 > 0:08:48and say, "Listen, you know, I can't put, I can't use this
0:08:48 > 0:08:51"money for the headstone because I've just had a huge sinkhole
0:08:51 > 0:08:55"in the back of my garden so I'll just have to use this
0:08:55 > 0:08:59"money for that, but that really hurt me because I really, really loved my dad,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03"and to know that I had to use that money for, to pay for the
0:09:03 > 0:09:08"sinkhole, it had to be paid because I couldn't leave it, but it really,
0:09:08 > 0:09:14"really, really, hurt me to know that I had to use that money for that."
0:09:14 > 0:09:18In the end, the whole repair cost around £9,000.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21It was a horrible time. I was going to bed crying,
0:09:21 > 0:09:26getting up in the morning, looking through the bathroom window
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and I could see the hole. I just couldn't sleep,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I was just crying.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34As she'd never have even contemplated
0:09:34 > 0:09:37a situation like this could occur. Gretel had had no idea that
0:09:37 > 0:09:40her insurance would not cover this kind of eventuality.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44And I'll bet most of the rest of us wouldn't have known, either.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47The Halifax, though, has reiterated that such incidents, which it
0:09:47 > 0:09:50says are "still rare occurrences", are only covered by a policy's
0:09:50 > 0:09:54terms "if they cause damage to the insured property".
0:09:54 > 0:09:58In Gretel's case, their specialist claims team investigated
0:09:58 > 0:10:01thoroughly and were satisfied that the sinkhole posed
0:10:01 > 0:10:04"no imminent likely danger to the property".
0:10:04 > 0:10:06So without any reason under her policy to pay out, all
0:10:06 > 0:10:10they could do was advise Gretel on recommended next steps.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Although it was at her own expense,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16the work restoring Gretel's garden is now complete,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20so Maya is able once again to trampoline with confidence.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23But Gretel remains shocked not just that such an extraordinarily
0:10:23 > 0:10:26freakish event ever happened but also that,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29when it did, there was nowhere she could turn for help.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32This is one of the most obscure things to
0:10:32 > 0:10:34- happen in your back garden, that's awful.- Yeah,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36nobody saves up for it.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40And it really, really, really hurt, and I was so desperate.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50In recent years we've unfortunately become all too familiar with
0:10:50 > 0:10:54those shocking pictures of huge swathes of the UK submerged
0:10:54 > 0:10:58under flood water following particularly wet weather.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Now, when the owners of many of those homes affected come to
0:11:01 > 0:11:04renew their policies they're going to find
0:11:04 > 0:11:07they are faced with much higher insurance premiums, but you know,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11plenty of other people who didn't see even a drop of water coming
0:11:11 > 0:11:14into their property are also being told that their risk of flooding
0:11:14 > 0:11:19has gone up as well and that they are going to have to pay more, too.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Now, I know this because it's happened to me. Well, obviously,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I wanted to find out what was going on but I have to tell you,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30that has proved a lot harder than you might think.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Our winters seem to be getting wetter.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39And for many, that's more than just an inconvenience.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43By the end of the heaviest downpour of early 2014,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46thousands of homes had been seriously flooded.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48In the worst-affected county, Somerset, there was
0:11:48 > 0:11:51almost twice the amount of rainfall as in previous years
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and it was months before the clean-up was complete.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Insurance companies paid out
0:11:56 > 0:12:00£451 million in flood insurance claims.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02And as the water levels have risen,
0:12:02 > 0:12:07so, too, has the amount that a lot of us pay for our home insurance.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11350,000 homes are now classified as at risk from flooding.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15And among those apparently facing an increased risk is mine!
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Or at least that was what I was surprised to be told
0:12:18 > 0:12:20when I came to renew my policy.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23And as a result, my premiums would have to go up.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Now, I live in central London,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30but I don't live on the banks of the River Thames.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Nor do I live next door to here, which is where the
0:12:33 > 0:12:37River Thames is rushing by just over a mile away.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40In fact, I live around here, which is
0:12:40 > 0:12:42over two miles from the Thames.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45So if the river did ever burst its banks,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48then it would take quite a large chunk of central London with it,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50including the Houses of Parliament,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Buckingham Palace, the Royal Albert Hall,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56and half of Kensington before it got anywhere near my house.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02As far as I know, my house has never been flooded in the 180 years
0:13:02 > 0:13:03since it was built.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06So you can understand why I was surprised to suddenly be
0:13:06 > 0:13:09told there was now a high risk of that happening.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I'm sure many of you will have been equally puzzled after
0:13:12 > 0:13:16suddenly being told something similar by your own insurers.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Which is why I was determined to get to the bottom of how all this
0:13:19 > 0:13:20had been worked out.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24I asked my broker to go back to the insurance company
0:13:24 > 0:13:25and ask for an explanation,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29and we received a letter saying I'm not in danger of flooding
0:13:29 > 0:13:34from the River Thames at all, but from surface water flooding, which
0:13:34 > 0:13:37is apparently what happens when you get an excessive amount of rain that
0:13:37 > 0:13:43doesn't drain away, and they sent me a map of this mysterious new threat.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46The map DID show that my house, was under threat
0:13:46 > 0:13:50from flooding in really heavy rainfall, when the drains
0:13:50 > 0:13:54under London might not be able take all the water away quickly enough.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56But it was the first I'd heard of it.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00And when our team looked into it, searching all the publicly
0:14:00 > 0:14:03available information they could find about my home, they couldn't
0:14:03 > 0:14:06pinpoint anything to support the insurance company's belief that
0:14:06 > 0:14:10my home suddenly faced an increased risk from this type of flooding, either.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13So I paid for a Homecheck report, the kind your solicitor will
0:14:13 > 0:14:15get when you're buying a house.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17That didn't show up a high risk, either.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And when we spoke to the planning department at Kensington
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and Chelsea Council they said there was no risk at all!
0:14:23 > 0:14:27So what do my insurance company know that the council don't?
0:14:27 > 0:14:30I've come to the offices of the Environment Agency.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33They've mapped and studied every bit of England and Wales for all
0:14:33 > 0:14:37kinds of flood risk, including the one I'd never imagined homes,
0:14:37 > 0:14:42including mine, could be under threat from, surface water flooding.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Surface water flooding seems to be one of these subjects
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and one of these titles that has crept in,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51particularly to insurance policies quite recently.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54One of the things about surface water flooding is that it can
0:14:54 > 0:14:56happen anywhere.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It can happen miles away from rivers,
0:14:58 > 0:15:00so it can happen in places where somebody might not
0:15:00 > 0:15:03automatically expect that it would happen.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05But we are seeing more of this kind of flooding,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09and that's one of the reasons why we've produced these maps
0:15:09 > 0:15:13which show areas which are at risk of surface water flooding. We're
0:15:13 > 0:15:17trying to make them as good as they can be, and the plan is that
0:15:17 > 0:15:20we'll continue to maintain them, that as more information is available
0:15:20 > 0:15:25to us that, we'll build that into the maps and make them even better
0:15:25 > 0:15:28At the moment, the Environment Agency's maps don't appear to
0:15:28 > 0:15:31show my home IS under high risk of surface water flooding.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34So does that mean my insurers, and yours, too,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37if you've been told the same thing, are wrong?
0:15:37 > 0:15:39It's important to remember that there are always
0:15:39 > 0:15:44limitations in any maps and that the maps can't be property specific,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48they can't show for sure whether a property will or won't flood.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50But we do believe that they are the best maps
0:15:50 > 0:15:53that are available for all of England and Wales.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56So if, as they believe, the Environment Agency has
0:15:56 > 0:15:58the best surface water flooding maps available,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01you might expect it's these maps the insurance companies
0:16:01 > 0:16:05will use to judge whether a house is at risk of flooding.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07But, in fact, that's not necessarily the case.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11We asked the top ten insurers what maps they use to evaluate
0:16:11 > 0:16:14the chances of flooding and calculate insurance premiums.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Three companies didn't bother to respond to us at all.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Another three said they do
0:16:19 > 0:16:22use the Environment Agency's maps, but only one uses them exclusively.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25The other two use them alongside data
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and maps commissioned from private companies.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30And the remaining four insurers told us
0:16:30 > 0:16:32they don't use the Environment Agency maps at all
0:16:32 > 0:16:35because they don't believe they go into enough detail.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38So, with most insurance companies using different maps,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41next we asked them if they'd be prepared to show those to
0:16:41 > 0:16:44customers to help them understand how their policies are calculated.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Of the six who answered, all said no,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50telling us this information was "commercially sensitive",
0:16:50 > 0:16:53or not in a form that would be meaningful to customers.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56So, with no standard map being used across the industry,
0:16:56 > 0:17:01and too many insurance companies just unwilling to explain how
0:17:01 > 0:17:03they set their premiums,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07I'd like to find out what are those decisions that are made when it
0:17:07 > 0:17:12comes to deciding the potential flood risk to our properties.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14The Association of British Insurers represents
0:17:14 > 0:17:17the majority of insurance companies in the UK.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20So I've come to meet its head of property, to find out
0:17:20 > 0:17:24more about how insurers calculate premiums when it comes to flooding.
0:17:24 > 0:17:30How do insurance companies work out flood risk across the country
0:17:30 > 0:17:33when they're quoting prices for premiums?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36So insurers will take a variety of sources
0:17:36 > 0:17:40and information and they'll think that their way of assessing
0:17:40 > 0:17:43flood risk is better than the rest of the market
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and there'll be a competitive process where insurer A will
0:17:46 > 0:17:49try and get a better understanding of flood risk than insurer B.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52That means different insurers will have different
0:17:52 > 0:17:54views of flood risk, but that's good for customers
0:17:54 > 0:17:57as that means you have two insurers who have different views of
0:17:57 > 0:18:00flood risk and that allows customers to shop around and use another
0:18:00 > 0:18:04insurer who may view them as lower risk than their previous insurer.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Can I take you to task on that?
0:18:06 > 0:18:08You say it's better for the consumer. No, it's not,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12because that means every insurance company can set their own rules.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Surely the answer in something like this would be for one level point
0:18:15 > 0:18:20at which everyone can judge whether or not you are at risk.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Because simply that doesn't exist, there is
0:18:23 > 0:18:26no one view of what flood risk is. Nobody can predict
0:18:26 > 0:18:29whether a certain place has a 10% chance of flooding and could
0:18:29 > 0:18:33flood next year. In a competitive market, insurers are driven
0:18:33 > 0:18:36to find the best way of assessing flood risk and some will spend
0:18:36 > 0:18:40millions and millions of pounds in trying to understand this and
0:18:40 > 0:18:43they do that because it gives them a competitive edge over others who may
0:18:43 > 0:18:47spend less investing in flood risk and flood-mapping techniques.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51That gives them the ability to price more accurately in their view, and gives
0:18:51 > 0:18:54them the ability to win business and offer price at an appropriate level.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57If you're unsure how your premium is calculated, you can
0:18:57 > 0:19:00always ask your insurer to tell you.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03When I asked mine to explain the rise in premiums,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05they did ultimately tell me how they'd worked it out.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08And while I don't agree with their assessment,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11it does go to show that insurers WILL open up to customers.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13In the end, they reduced my premium,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16but if the house ever does flood. I will have to pay an excess
0:19:16 > 0:19:20of £2,500 on any claim for flood damage.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23When the Rip Off team spoke to my insurers,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27they were told that the company "specialises in analysing,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31"understanding, and appropriately pricing risk for its customers"
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and that, like all insurance providers, it uses an
0:19:34 > 0:19:37"experienced team of specialist underwriters" using "the most
0:19:37 > 0:19:41"accurate and up-to-date information available" to assess that risk.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45They said that they are "obliged to charge an appropriate premium"
0:19:45 > 0:19:48to reflect the risk each property presents.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Still, at least I've been able to get cover in the unlikely
0:19:52 > 0:19:54event my house does flood.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57But I'm afraid that is not the case for everyone who's
0:19:57 > 0:19:59classed as being at risk.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Later in the programme we'll head to the town where MILLIONS has
0:20:02 > 0:20:05been spent on new flood defences, but some residents are still
0:20:05 > 0:20:08struggling to get any flood insurance at all.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12We thought because we are now at a lesser risk of flooding,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15that would be fine with the insurance companies.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18But unfortunately that's not the reality.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Still to come on Rip Off Britain,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28if your home is damaged in a storm, why your insurer could
0:20:28 > 0:20:30say it's you that has to pay to pick up the pieces.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- We were absolutely gutted. - Shell-shocked.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36It is just a terribly sad
0:20:36 > 0:20:40and devastating situation to find oneself in.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46So many of you get in touch with us
0:20:46 > 0:20:50throughout the year by letter by e-mail, but you know our pop-up
0:20:50 > 0:20:54shop is the perfect way for us to be able to meet you face-to-face,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56so that we can give you all the advice you need and hopefully
0:20:56 > 0:21:01answers to some of those questions that are driving you mad!
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Jo Youen came into our pop-up shop to see if trading standards expert
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Sylvia Rook could help her with an ongoing problem with her caravan.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14I bought a brand-new caravan five years ago
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and unfortunately we've had continuous problems with the
0:21:17 > 0:21:21window leaking and I don't know what to do or how to get it resolved.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25So when did the fault first show itself?
0:21:25 > 0:21:29We started to see a misting in the window about
0:21:29 > 0:21:32six months into using the caravan.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35and on our first annual service, the dealer mentioned that they
0:21:35 > 0:21:39were having to replace the window because the material wasn't strong
0:21:39 > 0:21:45- enough. We arranged through warranty to have it repaired.- Had the
0:21:45 > 0:21:48dealer actually replaced the whole window unit or had he just sealed
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- round it?- No, they replaced, we had a brand-new window.
0:21:50 > 0:21:57We stored it over winter, as we normally do, and we noticed mould inside the caravan.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Oh, that's not good.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04The dealer said, "We've had a few people say that. Have you got any hairline cracks on the outside
0:22:04 > 0:22:10"of the front of the caravan?" We had about eight. They then had
0:22:10 > 0:22:16to put a claim through warranty for a whole new front and another window.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20The dealer then decided the job was too complicated,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23so referred it to the manufacturer, who replaced
0:22:23 > 0:22:26the front of the caravan and the problematic window.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28But that wasn't the end of it.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30We noticed the window leaked.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- Still - the same window? - This was the third window we had.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Have you been back to the dealer you bought it from?
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- They've unfortunately gone into administration.- Have you gone back to the manufacturer?
0:22:40 > 0:22:47- I have.- And what have they said? - Well, they're telling me that my contract
0:22:47 > 0:22:52- isn't with them and it was with the dealer. However, they have said they'll replace the window.- Again.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- Again.- You're in
0:22:54 > 0:22:58a very difficult position. You've got a small claim against the manufacturer
0:22:58 > 0:23:02for the work that they did. I think it's going to be about trying to get
0:23:02 > 0:23:05some sort of goodwill gesture from the manufacturer and say," I didn't
0:23:05 > 0:23:09"have a contract with you but it's you that made this and clearly it
0:23:09 > 0:23:12"can't be fixed so what can you do to help me?" The other thing
0:23:12 > 0:23:16you can do is go back and see if they'll extend the warranty because
0:23:16 > 0:23:19of the fact that you've had problems all the way down the line, see
0:23:19 > 0:23:22if they will extend the warranty to cover these issues until the matter
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- can get sorted.- So, as part of the gesture of goodwill, I could
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- maybe add that in.- If you don't ask, you won't get it at all.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31If you do ask, there's a chance you might. It's always worth trying.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37It wouldn't be Rip Off Britain's pop-up shop without our gripe corner
0:23:37 > 0:23:39where people can go
0:23:39 > 0:23:41and let off steam about things that get their blood boiling.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44And you certainly were not holding back!
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Give the working man a chance - we're paying too much for fuel
0:23:48 > 0:23:52prices. Ten years ago we were paying half the amount, it's not fair.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56It's really difficult to get a hotel room to fit the five of us, so we
0:23:56 > 0:24:00have to get ripped off and pay the price for two rooms.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02What really annoys me is PPI calls, there's no need for it.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05BOTH: Stop calling me, it's rude!
0:24:08 > 0:24:13Now, when it comes to bad weather, you might think it's pretty
0:24:13 > 0:24:15obvious what constitutes a storm.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Howling gale, pouring rain, maybe even thunder and lightning.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23But in fact, when it comes to insurance, it's rather more complicated.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26And that can have big repercussions if you're making
0:24:26 > 0:24:29an claim for anything that you think was damaged in a storm.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Around half of all complaints about buildings insurance
0:24:32 > 0:24:36come down to disputes resulting from bad weather.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Not just because insurers aren't convinced that the weather
0:24:39 > 0:24:41was to blame for any damage.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44But often because they don't even agree that the weather was
0:24:44 > 0:24:45that bad in the first place.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48So when is a storm not a storm?
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Well, batten down the hatches, for some homeowners,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55this has been a very bumpy ride.
0:24:55 > 0:25:01When Janet Tipper and her husband, Doug, moved to this pretty Devonshire
0:25:01 > 0:25:04farmhouse in 1987, they knew it had been built using the traditional
0:25:04 > 0:25:08West Country building techniques of more than 300 years ago.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11The cob's about three-foot thick here.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14As the house had been made with old-fashioned cob walls, it meant
0:25:14 > 0:25:20if anything were to happen, repairs would be far from straightforward.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23We knew it would be a big job, and a difficult job because it is a
0:25:23 > 0:25:29specialist area, not everybody can deal with this sort of structure.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33With protecting the authenticity of the house so very important,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Janet took out a policy underwritten by the Co-Operative Insurance,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41and was confident that she'd done what
0:25:41 > 0:25:44she could in case the worst should happen.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Unfortunately, on the 3rd January, 2012, it did.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54There are a number of Met Office warnings in force, one of them
0:25:54 > 0:25:56due to the strength of the wind.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58It was just a tremendous storm, wasn't it?
0:25:58 > 0:26:01There was slates coming off the roof over there, and it
0:26:01 > 0:26:03was just a horrendous storm.
0:26:03 > 0:26:09When I woke up, I drew the curtains back, and I looked out
0:26:09 > 0:26:15and I saw a whole load of rubble on the drive and I thought, "Oh, my God!"
0:26:15 > 0:26:20As a result of the pounding delivered by the storm,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23a whole section of the cob wall on the front of the house had
0:26:23 > 0:26:26just crumbled away, falling onto their porch.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28And the roof had some minor damage, too.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31We knew the cause of this problem was the storm
0:26:31 > 0:26:35because the storm had raged all night.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Janet immediately contacted her broker,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42and on their advice, arranged for a local contractor to cover up
0:26:42 > 0:26:45the damage in order to prevent it from getting worse.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Two days later, the insurers sent round a loss adjuster to
0:26:48 > 0:26:50inspect the property.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53But the couple were astonished by what she had to say.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59She said there was no storm, which was a complete bombshell.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03We were absolutely shocked.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08She picked up a weather programme on her computer
0:27:08 > 0:27:12that apparently insurers use, and was trying to say that this
0:27:12 > 0:27:17did not record a storm, and we were just baffled.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20She said, "If your roof was damaged, or because yours
0:27:20 > 0:27:24"is an old house, the insurers wouldn't pay."
0:27:24 > 0:27:27And I said, "What are you taking our money for?"
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Assessing the severity of bad weather isn't
0:27:30 > 0:27:33quite as simple as you might think.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36To determine if it's bad enough to be classed as a storm,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39insurers will often rely on what's called the Beaufort Scale,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43an officially recognised measure of wind speed that became
0:27:43 > 0:27:46standard in the 19th century.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50But even though it was widely reported that severe weather
0:27:50 > 0:27:53had hit the entire west coast of the country at that time,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56the loss adjuster simply wasn't convinced that it was
0:27:56 > 0:27:59the cause of the damage to the house.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01So, although the insurer DID agree to repair
0:28:01 > 0:28:06some of the damage to the porch they refused to pay out for by
0:28:06 > 0:28:10far the most significant part of the claim, the repair of the cob wall.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14We were absolutely gutted.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Shell-shocked.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18It is just a terribly sad
0:28:18 > 0:28:21and devastating situation to find oneself in.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26In the weeks that followed, as the couple protested,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30the insurers did accept that there had been a storm in the area.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33But they still didn't agree that the weather had caused the damage,
0:28:33 > 0:28:37which, instead, they put down to lack of maintenance leading
0:28:37 > 0:28:38to wear and tear.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42The couple were horrified, not least because it left them having to
0:28:42 > 0:28:47shoulder the cost of repairs, which totalled around £21,000.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Your whole world has fallen apart
0:28:50 > 0:28:54because what you've paid in insurance for to protect what
0:28:54 > 0:28:58you own is just not doing what it's promised.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Both retired from work, Janet
0:29:03 > 0:29:07and Doug didn't have enough savings to cover the cost of the repairs,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and nor were they able to get any sort of loan that could help.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14The only solution was to sell their much-loved holiday home
0:29:14 > 0:29:17in France, where they had planned to spend much of their retirement.
0:29:21 > 0:29:22They were heartbroken.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25But on top of that, they remained convinced that they hadn't
0:29:25 > 0:29:27been treated fairly.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30And Janet wasn't prepared to take that lying down.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36Unfortunately for the insurers, we're made of quite tough metal,
0:29:36 > 0:29:41and I was not going to let them get away with it.
0:29:41 > 0:29:46Janet decided to take their case to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51The adjudicator, after a lot of negotiation with Co-op
0:29:51 > 0:29:52Insurance, but eventually,
0:29:52 > 0:29:57he awarded fully in our favour.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01In fact, not only did the adjudicator say
0:30:01 > 0:30:03the Co-op should stump up for the repair bill,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06but they also recommended compensation for the couple
0:30:06 > 0:30:10because of the stress of having to sell their French home.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13But the insurer didn't accept this decision.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16So the whole sorry saga rumbled on a lot longer.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18It went through the full Ombudsman
0:30:18 > 0:30:22and then was awarded fully in our favour,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25plus 8% interest
0:30:25 > 0:30:30and £250 for the stress involved.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33It was a great result for the couple,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35but all told, it took more than two years
0:30:35 > 0:30:40after the storm that caused the damage for the insurers to pay out.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Sadly, such disputes are not unusual.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48The Financial Ombudsman Service says disagreements with insurers
0:30:48 > 0:30:51over damage caused by weather are all too common.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56We get around 350 building insurance complaints every month.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00And a lot of those come down to how we define bad weather.
0:31:00 > 0:31:01Storm is a pretty ambiguous term
0:31:01 > 0:31:06and insurers shouldn't rely on vague definitions to not pay claims.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09If all the evidence suggests that the damage isn't wear and tear,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13then we would expect the insurer to be realistic, reasonable and pay up.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17So, what should you do if a dispute with your insurer
0:31:17 > 0:31:20over the weather causes a storm all of its own?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22First things first, don't panic.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24It's not down to you to have to prove
0:31:24 > 0:31:26whether a serious weather event took place or not.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28All that matters to the insurer
0:31:28 > 0:31:31will be what you can remember about the time the storm took place.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33So jot down everything you can recall.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Maybe the time you first started noticing the wind was playing up.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Also, speak to your neighbours.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42If you've been affected by a storm, chances are they have been, too.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45And that kind of evidence can really support your claim.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50We contacted Co-operative Insurance to find out why it took so long
0:31:50 > 0:31:53for Janet and Doug to have their claim resolved.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58They told us they were truly sorry for the difficulties and delays
0:31:58 > 0:32:00the couple experienced,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04but stressed that they do not turn down claims lightly
0:32:04 > 0:32:07and that this individual case is in no way indicative
0:32:07 > 0:32:10of the high standards they aim for.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12They felt a full review was necessary
0:32:12 > 0:32:14after the Ombudsman's initial decision
0:32:14 > 0:32:16due to the differences in opinion
0:32:16 > 0:32:18between the loss adjustor's findings
0:32:18 > 0:32:21and the evidence provided by Janet and Doug.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25And while they say the timescale of that was out of their control,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28they're sorry for the additional inconvenience
0:32:28 > 0:32:31and distress this caused.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33But Janet and Doug remain bitter
0:32:33 > 0:32:35that it took almost two years of fighting
0:32:35 > 0:32:39to get the payout they never doubted they were due.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41The whole experience has just been devastating.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46But I was determined to battle as far as I could and get justice,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49which I finally feel I did.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59We've put together an absolutely free booklet of tips
0:32:59 > 0:33:02and advice to help safeguard your hard-earned cash.
0:33:02 > 0:33:08You can download it from our website, bbc.co.uk/ripoffbritain.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Or for a hard copy, send a stamped self-addressed A5 envelope
0:33:11 > 0:33:14to the address we'll give you at the end of the programme.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17You can also find on the website lots more information
0:33:17 > 0:33:19on the topics we tackle on the programme
0:33:19 > 0:33:23with plenty of tips on how to save money and, most importantly,
0:33:23 > 0:33:25how to avoid being caught out.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Earlier in the programme, I went on something of a mission
0:33:31 > 0:33:33to discover why my home and perhaps yours, too,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36had suddenly been re-categorised as being at risk of flooding.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40And how that would dramatically drive up my insurance premiums.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44But that's small fry compared to the costs facing those people
0:33:44 > 0:33:46whose homes have a really high risk of flooding,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48or indeed, have been flooded in the past.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52The devastating flood that hit residents
0:33:52 > 0:33:57of Cockermouth in Cumbria in 2009 was the third in four years.
0:33:57 > 0:33:58But it was the worst of them all,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01destroying homes and businesses throughout the town.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03It was deeper than me.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07It was about halfway up the top part of those windows there.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11The town centre was submerged under 2.5 metres of floodwater.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14Over 900 properties were affected
0:34:14 > 0:34:18and around 200 people had to be rescued by the emergency services.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23All the time, you keep thinking, it's going to stop.
0:34:23 > 0:34:24It didn't, it kept coming.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28The water level actually ended up just at the top of the...
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Well, just at about this height.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34I'm not the toughest guy in the world, but it made me cry.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Some locals, like Sue Cashmore,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40had only just recovered from the flood of the previous year.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42But this one was much worse.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46The house flooded for the third time in 2009.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48November 19th, 2009.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51The date always stays engraved in your memory.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53We went upstairs, but then the water
0:34:53 > 0:34:56just kept coming and coming and coming.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59And we finally ended up with about seven foot of water in the house.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03After 18 hours of being trapped on the first floor,
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Sue and her daughters were rescued.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09We climbed out of the bedroom window, into the boat.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14Seeing them leave their home, which is meant to be their area of security,
0:35:14 > 0:35:19in a boat, that kind of really pulls at the heartstrings, and still does to this day.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Sue and her family were taken to an evacuation centre.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28But having been through all of this before, Sue knew that in some ways
0:35:28 > 0:35:30the worst was yet to come.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35I can remember walking in and looking at the people and just saying to somebody,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39"These people have no idea the hell they're about to go through."
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Because I knew that the next year of their life would be hell.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48People think if you're insured, "Oh, it's no problem, you've been flooded, you're insured."
0:35:48 > 0:35:51"Not a problem, you just get everything new."
0:35:51 > 0:35:55That is not the way it is at all, you've got to fight for everything to get it back.
0:35:55 > 0:36:00Sue's insurance did pay for the repairs she needed, but her parents,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03who live 100 yards away, were in a very different situation.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06They too had been flooded twice before, but this time
0:36:06 > 0:36:10they simply could not afford to claim on their insurance.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13As bad as you thought or about what you think, you thought it would be?
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Yeah?
0:36:17 > 0:36:19Worse than what I thought it would be.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23The insurance excess Sue's parents would have to pay
0:36:23 > 0:36:27for any flood-related claim was a whopping £20,000.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32Meaning that they simply could not afford for their insurer to repair the damage.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36The community pulled together to get Cockermouth back on its feet,
0:36:36 > 0:36:41and a charity was set up to donate furniture to those in need, including Sue's parents.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47For a man who's worked all his life to get his home and to provide for his family
0:36:47 > 0:36:52to now be sitting on second-hand furniture is very, very difficult for him.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55He does find that very, very hard.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58With floods so regularly damaging the town, it was clear that
0:36:58 > 0:37:02something had to be done to stop the same thing happening again.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06Residents successfully campaigned to have flood defences built,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09with some of the money raised through extra council tax.
0:37:09 > 0:37:15So it took us about 18 months to 2 years, working with the Environment Agency in partnership.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20Negotiation, raising money as a town.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23We had a 4.4 million flood defence put in.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26It does give you some piece of mind.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30It just makes things a lot better that you've got that there.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33But even with this new state-of-the-art protection,
0:37:33 > 0:37:38some residents still can't get affordable insurance against floods.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40Including Sue.
0:37:40 > 0:37:47My premium was about £30-£40 when I started out, it then went up to £90-odd a month.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51And then last year they put the premium up to £200 a month.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56I'm a single parent with two daughters who are at university,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00I can't afford to pay £200 a month so I had to make that really difficult decision
0:38:00 > 0:38:02that I couldn't afford that insurance,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Part of the reason that Sue's premiums are so high is
0:38:05 > 0:38:09because although the town's new flood defences will protect against river water,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12they can't protect against surface water flooding.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16As Sue's parents found last Christmas, when they were flooded yet again.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20This time because the drains, some of which date back to the Victorian times,
0:38:20 > 0:38:22could not handle the amount of rain.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25The drain was either blocked, broken or inadequate.
0:38:25 > 0:38:30That's what we found out here. They were blocked. We had them all cleaned and whatever.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33On the night Mum and Dad were flooded, what we found was all the gullies were full,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36and we actually had mountain rescue and other people down here,
0:38:36 > 0:38:40digging the drains out to get it working again.
0:38:40 > 0:38:45Once again, Sue's parents could not afford to pay the £20,000
0:38:45 > 0:38:49their insurer would charge to repair the flood damage.
0:38:49 > 0:38:55Both they, and of course Sue, who no longer feels that she can afford to get insurance at all,
0:38:55 > 0:39:02feel they're in a lose-lose situation, and one they simply can't escape by selling up.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07Unless I really drop it down to a ridiculous amount and lose a lot of money,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09I cannot sell my house.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Fortunately, things are set to improve.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Recognising that those who need flood cover the most
0:39:14 > 0:39:17are finding themselves priced out of being able to get it,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21the industry, along with the Government and the Environment Agency, has come up with a solution.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24A new scheme called Flood Re,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28is being introduced that will make sure every one of us,
0:39:28 > 0:39:33regardless of whether our house is at risk of flooding or not, pay an extra £10.50 on our home insurance.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36That money will then go into a pot that will be used to
0:39:36 > 0:39:40insure the insurers against big payouts for flood plains.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44The insurance industry is confident that as a result, they should be
0:39:44 > 0:39:47able to offer flood cover to people like Sue at a level they are able to pay.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Flood Re is there to solve the issue of affordable flood cover
0:39:51 > 0:39:54for those 2% of people who live in areas at risk of flooding
0:39:54 > 0:39:58and who would be unable to find affordable cover in the future.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00And when is this going to come into effect?
0:40:00 > 0:40:04At the moment we are anticipating that will come into effect in July 2015.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08But it is worth underlining that this is a very complex project, it is a world first.
0:40:08 > 0:40:14It is something that requires an unprecedented level of government and industry partnership.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17But though the planned scheme is good news, people
0:40:17 > 0:40:23like Sue and her parents are still left exposed, and unprotected until it comes in.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26What are those people in that position at the moment supposed to do
0:40:26 > 0:40:29if they believe they are in an area of high flood risk,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33the insurance premium is so high that they can't afford it?
0:40:33 > 0:40:35Do they just risk it and go without?
0:40:35 > 0:40:40What they can do is, first of all, find a local broker who specialises in flood risk.
0:40:40 > 0:40:46The second step is to go on to the website of the British Insurance Brokers Association,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48they have a find a broker service.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50And within that service they have brokers again
0:40:50 > 0:40:53that specialise in people who live in areas at risk of flooding.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57But it is not a long-term solution, and that is why we are trying to bring in Flood Re.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01And for Sue and others like her, that can't come soon enough.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Every time it rains I'm thinking, "I hope I don't flood, what am I going to do if I flood?"
0:41:05 > 0:41:08"How on earth am I going to survive?"
0:41:08 > 0:41:13I don't have enough money to spend thousands on getting a house turned around.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24Here at Rip Off Britain we are always ready to investigate more of your stories.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28And we'd especially like to hear from you if you've had a problem on holiday
0:41:28 > 0:41:30or while travelling at home or abroad.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33So if you feel let down by your airline,
0:41:33 > 0:41:38disappointed that the hotel looked very different from the glossy pictures in the brochure,
0:41:38 > 0:41:42or maybe you're angry about hidden charges that weren't clear when you booked.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49You can write to us at:
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Or send us an e-mail to:
0:42:00 > 0:42:05The Rip Off Team is ready and waiting to investigate your stories.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13As you know, it is almost impossible to predict how much damage
0:42:13 > 0:42:15a storm or week after week of rain will cause.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19Especially if as in the case of Gretel's massive sink hole,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22all that activity is happening deep underground, long before the signs
0:42:22 > 0:42:24actually show on the surface.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28And it is at times like these that we really do rely on our insurers for help.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31And thanks to Britain's notoriously unreliable weather
0:42:31 > 0:42:35and the fact that some experts say we're likely to see
0:42:35 > 0:42:38even more sudden dramatic downpours in the future,
0:42:38 > 0:42:44chances are we're going to need to rely on insurers a lot more in the coming years and decades.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47So it really pays to make sure you are properly covered
0:42:47 > 0:42:51and you've read the small print to make sure that, whatever happens,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54you won't have to foot the bill to put it all right.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56Well, on that familiar note,
0:42:56 > 0:42:59it is time to say goodbye for now. But we'll be back very soon
0:42:59 > 0:43:03- to look into more of your stories, so, till then, from all the team, goodbye.- Bye-bye.- Bye-bye.