Insurance: obligatory safety towards flooding? The homeowners’ clear reply | EUROtoday

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The most up-to-date flood is hitting Spain, however in Germany the talk about obligatory insurance coverage towards such injury is rising once more. How would the homeowners really feel about this? A present survey speaks for itself.

When there’s a flood just like the flood within the Ahr Valley or at present in Valencia, Spain, the subject comes up many times. The query then arises as to why solely round 54 p.c of homes in Germany have so-called pure hazard insurance coverage. After all, in concept 99 p.c may have one, because the General Association of the Insurance Industry (GDV) says.

The query at all times arises as to why such insurance coverage just isn’t merely necessary for all constructing homeowners. The Federal Council is at present calling for the introduction of obligatory insurance coverage, however the federal authorities has to date refused to submit a corresponding draft.

The shopper safety affiliation for house possession (WiE) has now carried out a nationwide survey to learn how property homeowners really feel about this: Almost two thirds (62 p.c) of the two,500 respondents are in favor of necessary pure hazard insurance coverage.

The survey additionally discovered that 60 p.c of homeowners of single- and multi-family properties have insurance coverage towards pure hazards, whereas solely round 40 p.c of house homeowners say they’re insured towards pure hazards.

According to WiE, the house homeowners’ perspective on the dialogue about obligatory insurance coverage has to date acquired little consideration. Many insured individuals would relatively get monetary savings and subsequently forego complete safety, says the GDV.

Simple constructing insurance coverage just isn’t sufficient

Natural hazards are injury to buildings brought on by pure occasions – so-called pure hazards. Apart from storm and hail injury, these dangers usually are not robotically lined by constructing insurance coverage, however require further pure hazard insurance coverage, which covers injury brought on by floods, earthquakes, earth subsidence, snow stress or volcanic eruptions. This insurance coverage should be taken out together with constructing and contents insurance coverage or by extending these contracts.

The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) calls for that elementary safety be built-in into all – together with current – residential constructing insurance coverage insurance policies. Consumer advocates contemplate the federal authorities’s proposal to be insufficient. This stipulates that prospects can take out prolonged elemental safety if they need. “Anyone who has residential building insurance must automatically be insured against all relevant natural hazards in the future,” calls for vzbv board member Ramona Pop.

The owners affiliation can be demanding this. The largest hurdle to taking out insurance coverage is the required majority vote in a house possession neighborhood (WEG). This highlights systemic disadvantages, says WiE board member Sandra von Möller. “It is not possible for a single apartment owner to protect the building against natural hazards if the majority of the community opposes this. The introduction of compulsory insurance, which we as an association are advocating, would help here.”

Feedback from the survey additionally exhibits that the small print of the insurance coverage requirement are necessary. “Compulsory insurance against natural hazards should cover all water damage, including damage caused by groundwater,” says von Möller.

Few homeowners actively defend property

So far, injury brought on by rainwater that presses into the cellar from under as groundwater just isn’t insured, however injury brought on by water penetrating via the cellar window is. According to von Möller, it’s tough for policyholders to grasp why one trigger of harm is insured and the opposite just isn’t if the result’s an identical. In addition, it’s usually inconceivable for property homeowners to show the reason for the injury.

In addition to the necessary pure hazard insurance coverage, WiE requires state preventative measures via changes to constructing laws and constructing planning legislation in addition to efficient flood safety and their constant implementation. In addition, preventive measures by the homeowners of residential buildings must be promoted. “This triad of measures is necessary to protect properties sustainably and effectively from damaging events,” says von Möller.

In the case of residential property, particular person protecting measures must be managed via a renovation and modernization plan, as WiE has lengthy been calling for. The survey additionally exhibits that to date only some homeowners have taken motion to guard their very own property: round 20 p.c of house homeowners and round 30 p.c of homeowners of single- and multi-family properties have taken structural or technical protecting measures on their property towards heavy rain and flooding .

Von Möller factors out: “Water damage caused by an extreme weather event is now a phenomenon that can affect almost any property at any time.”

Stephan Maass is a enterprise editor in Berlin. Among different issues, he stories on shopper points, Property, Finance and Insurance.

https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article254286084/Versicherung-Pflichtschutz-gegen-Hochwasser-Die-eindeutige-Antwort-der-Eigentuemer.html