As the people of Cockermouth reel from the flooding of “biblical” proportions which has hit their community, gales blow and rain pours in other parts of Britain. Meanwhile insurance companies are pulling out all the stops to ensure that clients are given every assistance in making a claim and coping with the fallout.

Direct Line for instance has Property Insurance Advisors on site in many locations this weekend to help those affected. They will be giving advice and authorising repairs and alternative accommodation. Extra staff have also been called in to work in call centres, although even with the increased workforce it was expected that callers would have to wait to be attended to, in view of the numbers of homeowners affected by the dreadful conditions.

Meanwhile Mark Christopher of MORE TH>N advised clients to minimise the stress caused by this natural disaster by making the most of the professional expertise offered by their highly trained staff.

Halifax Home Insurance had earlier issued advice to policy holders to attempt as far as possible to minimise damage to property by taking preventative measures.

The Environment Agency’s website offers extensive advice on what to do in case of a flood: everything from finding out whether you live in an area which is at risk, how to be prepared and how to make a flood plan, how to sign up for flood warnings (either by means of phone, e-mail, SMS text, fax or pager), staying safe if it does flood and what to do in the aftermath.

Insurers are warning that around 7 out of 10 of us seriously underestimate the value of our wardrobe when taking out home contents cover.

LV= estimates the value of the average woman’s wardrobe to be a staggering £7,000 which includes £2,000 worth of jewellery and watches. Most of us, on the other hand, estimate the value of our wardrobes to be around £3,000 i.e. less than half the true figure.

Men’s clothes and accessories are perhaps unsurprisingly worth less than their female counterparts at £5000 but this will often include expensive business suits and sportswear.

Although it is relatively unusual to lose the entire contents of one’s wardrobe, fires and floods do happen and the cost of replacements, should you be inadequately insured, should be enough to make you sit down and carry out a proper wardrobe valuation.

LV= offers the following advice:

• Consider each part of your wardrobe separately, rather than just trying to come up with a figure. For instance, consider the following categories: work clothes, casual outfits, evening wear, sports clothes including ski wear, underwear, outdoor coats and jackets, footwear (e.g. boots, trainers, and shoes)
• Work out separately what your handbags, suitcases, carry-on luggage and sports bags are worth.
• Calculate the value of jewellery, both everyday and valuable. If you have any items worth over £1500 notify your insurer.
• Take photos of any unusual or expensive items which may help in any claims which need to be made.
• Think about adding accidental cover to your policy if it does not come as standard.

There has been an increase of two thirds in complaints arising from problem neighbours over the last two years, according to research commissioned by Halifax Home Insurance. This marks a stark change in direction from the improvements that had been made over the previous decade.

The research was carried out on behalf of Halifax by FDS International. Data was used from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) from 1996 to 2007, and the same questions were then asked for their own survey.

The study revealed that one-in-five homeowners have had serious issues with their neighbours over the past two years, a figure of 17%. The last time that the figure was so high was back in 1997.

The most common complaints being reported by neighbours were:

• excessive noise, at the top of the list with 49% of complaints
• rude and intimidating behaviour with 23%
• the crossing of legal boundaries, such as building fences and walls on land not belonging to them, at 20%

The research also suggested that financial concerns could be contributing to the problem. As unemployment is currently on the rise, more people are staying at home, leading to more arguments and confrontations between neighbours.

Another possible problem is that since the beginning of the recession, 300,000 more people are renting accommodation. When there are more people on short-term leases, this generally leads to a higher level of complaints.

Another problem that was highlighted was the illegal dumping of rubbish on neighbours’ property. This can partly be blamed on the cutbacks being made to refuse collections in certain areas. The cost to UK residents arising from this damage amounted to about £3 billion last year.