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How to Prevent Your Flood Damage Claim From Being Rejected

How to Prevent Your Flood Damage Claim From Being Rejected

We buy home insurance in good faith. We expect that when it comes to the crunch, and you make a flood damage claim, your insurance will enable you to recover your losses sustained through flood damage.

However, when that time arrives, how do you reduce the risk of your flood damage claim being rejected?

In the first place you should have taken time to choose the right home insurance, many policies will include flood insurance as part of their cover.

If you have established you have the right to claim, there are a few steps you can take to give your claim the best chance for success.

5 Steps for a Successful Flood Damage Claim

1. Stabilise the situation

In situations such as an escape of water, you need to put measures in place to stop the situation from worsening. Turn off the water at the mains and if possible, fix the leak. If you aren’t sure where the water is coming from, our escape of water teams have equipment to identify where the leak is coming from.

In the event of a natural disaster such as a flood, there’s not much you can do once the water has breached the entryway. You should avoid contact with any standing water and if possible turn off all running water, gas and electricity for your safety.

2. Inform your home insurance company

Once you’ve dealt with the initial emergency, it’s time to give the insurance company a call. Be prepared to give as much detail to support your flood damage claim as possible and make sure you have your policy number to hand.

Home insurance policy

3. Check the process with your insurance team

Avoid the urge to throw out damaged goods at this stage.

If the claim is relatively minor, your insurance company pay out should be straightforward, but in the event of a flood or a fire, your insurance company may want to send out a loss adjuster to take a look at your home and the damage it has sustained.

4. Gather your evidence

Use a permanent marker to indicate the highest level the flood water reached in each room.

Picture of water damage level on wall in basement for flood damage claim.

Take photos or a video of the water damage and create an inventory of damage done to your home and your belongings.

If your insurance covers food thrown away, make a list of any spoiled goods and take photos where possible.

5. Plan next steps

Speak to your home insurance about covering accommodation costs for the duration you are unable to use your property and ensure you keep the receipts of any costs incurred. In the event the damage is localised to just your kitchen or bathroom, you may be able to take advantage of our temporary accommodation Kitchen & Bathroom Pod Solution.

If your property needs to be dried out, it’s important to act sooner rather than later to minimise secondary damage to your home and belongings.

Speak with your home insurance company about arranging to get someone in with a desiccant dryer or an injection dryer to start drying out your property straight away.


Rainbow Restoration have flood damage restoration experts around the country that are equipped with the right knowledge and equipment to dry out your property quickly and effectively. They can remove damaged belongings that are beyond repair and clean and restore your belongings that can be salvaged.

With more than 50 branches across the UK, there’s bound to be a Rainbow branch near you that are equipped and skilled to dry out your property and restore your home in the wake of a flood. You can find your nearest branch by searching your postcode on our website, or give us a call on our 24/5 helpline 01623 422 488 365 days of the year.

Updated: 28/08/23

Published: 02 Aug 2023