After a flood, many homeowners find cover refused at renewal, the premium multiplied or the flood excess raised to thousands. Here is how the system works, who the Flood Re scheme can and can’t help, and what you can put in front of an insurer or broker to improve your terms.
Insurers price each property on its perceived risk. A past claim, a place on the Environment Agency’s flood maps, repeat flooding in the street or a new-build date can each push an insurer to decline, load the premium or set a flood excess high enough that a claim is barely worth making. None of this is inevitable, and much of it depends on what the insurer knows about your property.
Flood Re is a reinsurance scheme set up so that homes at high flood risk can still get affordable cover. It doesn’t sell policies. You buy ordinary home insurance through a participating insurer or broker, and the insurer can pass the flood part of the risk to Flood Re behind the scenes.
Criteria summarised from Flood Re’s website, checked September 2026. Always confirm your own eligibility with Flood Re or your insurer.
In July 2026, in its tenth year, Flood Re announced a reform package. The parts most relevant to homeowners:
Source: Flood Re, 1 July 2026.
An underwriter who knows nothing about your home assumes the worst. The more specific, documented evidence you or your broker can supply, the better your chance of cover at a fairer price.
If your last reinstatement was done by the insurer’s contractor, check it met BS 85500:2025 and CIRIA C790. A hidden fault, such as a broken damp-proof membrane, undermines everything else. Our Flood Resilience Property Review gives you an independent written report.
Flood doors, non-return valves, raised sockets, resilient floors — keep invoices, specifications and photos together in one place. Ask about Build Back Better during any claim, before the scope of repairs is agreed.
If a council or water company asset caused your flooding and has since been fixed, that is powerful evidence. A published Section 19 report often names the cause and who is responsible — find yours for Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire or Oxfordshire.
A flood excess of several thousand pounds can make a policy close to worthless. Read our article on disputing an insurance excess.
A specialist broker can present the evidence above to several insurers at once. The BIBA Find Insurance service is free.
RISE works only for homeowners. We don’t sell insurance, and we aren’t paid by insurers or brokers. What we can do is help you understand your position and build the evidence:
No. Flood Re is a reinsurance scheme that works behind the scenes. You buy a normal home insurance policy from a participating insurer or broker, and the insurer can pass the flood risk on to Flood Re. You won't see Flood Re named on your policy.
Broadly, Flood Re can support homes built before 1 January 2009 and in council tax bands A to H. Excluded are homes built from 2009 onwards, business premises, blocks of more than three flats, and housing association or company-owned homes. Buy-to-let homes can qualify if they meet the other rules. Check the current criteria on Flood Re's website, as they can change.
Newer homes are outside Flood Re, so you will usually need a specialist broker. The British Insurance Brokers' Association runs a free Find Insurance service on 0370 950 1790 that can point you to brokers who handle flood risk. Evidence of the home's flood resilience can help a broker present your property to insurers.
They can help, but no insurer is obliged to reduce your premium because of them. Documented measures, a resilient reinstatement and evidence that the cause of past flooding has been addressed give a broker more to work with. Flood Re's July 2026 reforms include premium discounts for households that obtain a Flood Performance Certificate or complete a self-assessment, currently at pilot stage.
Build Back Better lets participating insurers pay for up to £10,000 of property flood resilience measures as part of the repairs after a flood claim. Ask your insurer early in the claim whether it offers it, before the scope of repairs is agreed.
No. RISE is not an insurer or insurance broker and does not arrange, recommend or sell insurance. We help homeowners understand their policy and their property's position, and prepare evidence they can share with their own insurer or broker.
No obligation. No jargon. By the end of the call you will have a clear view of your options — whether you engage RISE or not.
Call any time No callback RISE directly