Sewer flooding compensation

You should contact your household insurance company immediately. You may want to contact your buildings and contents insurers too. 

You must direct any claims for loss or damage to them. They will tell you what you need to do to make sure the terms and conditions of your policy are met. 

Household contents insurance policies vary, but they normally cover the contents in the house, including:

• moveable furniture
• carpets
• electrical appliances
• clothing
• other personal effects.

Loss of consumables, such as heating oil or food may also be covered. Plants, lawns, shrubs and flowerbeds in the garden may be covered (usually up to a specified amount).

Household building insurance tends to cover the structure of the building, including permanent fixtures and fittings. It will usually cover:

• kitchen and bathroom fittings
• domestic outbuildings
• ornamental ponds
• tennis courts
• swimming pools
• septic tanks
• central heating fuel tanks
• walls, gates, fences and hedges
• drives, paths and patios.

In some cases, you may also be covered for accidental damage to underground services you are responsible for.

Household insurance covers sewer floods or any insurable risk leading to loss or damage to your property or its contents.

It is in your interest to contact your insurers and let them handle any claim.

If you check your policy, you’ll probably find that it gives cover on a 'new for old' basis, but any liability claim proved against us will be paid, taking into account wear and tear.

You should also receive reimbursement from your insurer if anyone is to blame for the event. If your insurance company proves we’ve been negligent, they will claim the costs back from us.

Your policy will normally have an excess that you need to pay when making a claim.

If you have a policy excess, we’ll consider reimbursing you if your claim is the result of sewer flooding from a public sewer.

Please send confirmation of your policy excess from your insurers to our insurance department.

You can email insurance@wessexwater.co.uk or write to: Insurance department, Wessex Water, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7WW.

Your policy may have a no-claims clause which could affect your renewal premium if you claim.

If you have a policy with a no-claims clause and your premium increases after a claim for damage due to our negligence, we'll consider an ex-gratia payment if we get written confirmation from your insurers.

If you don’t have insurance due to financial hardship, we will consider an ex-gratia payment.

If you want us to consider an ex-gratia payment, please send the details of your uninsured loss to our insurance department.

Where relevant, you should include a letter from your insurers detailing items not covered by your household insurance policy.

You can email insurance@wessexwater.co.uk or write to: Insurance department, Wessex Water, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7WW.