Skip to content
Back to Insurance
Back to Holidays
Back to Saga Money
Back to Saga Magazine
View of Marlow Bridge and flooded Thames river

FLOOD RE

Flood risk home insurance

Flood risk home insurance

Saga is covered by the Flood Re insurance scheme, so you can get more affordable home insurance if you live in a flood risk area.

If you live in a high-risk flooding area, you’ll know that for a long time the idea of insuring a home seemed at worst impossible and at best extremely costly. But, thanks to a government backed scheme that launched in 2016, home insurance for flood risk areas is now a lot more accessible – and a lot less stressful.

What is Flood Re?

Flood Re is a joint initiative between the government and insurance providers that protects insurers against losses due to flooding. It was set up to help people protect their properties in high-risk flooding areas and means that some of the risk and cost of flooding is passed to another provider, not to you.

Flood Re is included as part of your Saga Home Insurance policy (if you’re eligible) so you don’t have to go through any extra steps to be covered.

How does Flood Re work?

  1. We pay into the Flood Re scheme
  2. When you buy home insurance, if you’re eligible we pass the flood risk element of your policy to Flood Re for a fixed price based on your home’s council tax band
  3. If you need to make a valid claim for flooding, we pay the claim and get reimbursed from the Flood Re fund
Contact us to find out more

Who are Saga's home insurance policies underwritten by?

Saga Home Insurance policies, exclusively for people over 50, are unique products designed specifically for our customers. They are underwritten by a number of carefully selected insurers that provide our high standards of quality and service.

How does Flood Re benefit you?

  • Flood Re insurance doesn’t affect how you buy your home insurance policy with us
  • You don’t have to worry about talking directly to Flood Re, we do that for you
  • The Flood Re scheme website provides helpful resources about how to reduce the risk of flooding

Is your home eligible for Flood Re?

  • You or your family must live in the property, or the property must be entirely unoccupied
  • You must have a domestic Council Tax band A to H
  • Your home must only be used for private residential purposes
  • Your home must have been built before 1st January 2009
  • Your home must be located within the UK (excluding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands)

You can get the full details around eligibility by visiting the Flood Re website.

Are there any properties that are excluded from Flood Re?

Your property could be excluded from the Flood Re scheme if it:

  • Was built after 1st January 2009
  • Is a commercial property
  • You rent it out to tenants
  • It’s in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
  • Your building contains more than three residential units (e.g. flats)

Who pays for Flood Re?

Any insurer offering home insurance in the UK must pay into the Flood Re scheme. This raises £180 million every year that is used to cover claims for high flood risk home insurance policies.

There is also a standard £250 Flood Re excess fee you'll need to pay if a flood claim is made. This will replace the standard policy excess you've chosen, so you won't have to pay both at once.

How do you find out if you’re at risk of flooding?

If you want to find out your property’s flood risk, you can check the Environment Agency’s flood risk maps.

How do you find out if a property has flooded before?

Luckily, if you’re in the process of buying a property, the seller has to disclose if water has entered the property or if it’s had any effect on the garden, driveway or surrounding land. If they don’t, they could have to pay damages worth tens of thousands of pounds.

You could also:

  • Ask your estate agent and the owner if they are aware of any flooding history
  • Speak to the neighbours to see if they’ve had flooding issues
  • Ask your conveyancing solicitor to do a search on flood risk

Does Saga offer Flood Re home insurance?

Yes, we may be able to offer you home insurance with flood cover if you live in a high-risk area.

If you wish to buy your home insurance for flood risk areas through Saga and you have experienced a flooding incident at your current property, then please call us on 0800 092 3298. If you live in a flood risk area and have not experienced a flooding incident, you can simply get a quote online.