Delayed November flood payments and refusal to pay out

Irish anti-poverty charity St Vincent de Paul (SVP) has told the Insurance Ombudsman of Ireland that insurers are not paying November flood claims in full and are delaying payment in Cork, Clare and Galway, the Irish Examiner reports.

President, Máiréad Bushnell alleged that people whose homes were destroyed by the floods are having to wait inordinate lengths of time for insurance pay-outs.

SVP also claimed private residents were forced to return to their homes because they were deemed "structurally sound and fit for occupation post-flooding", despite the risk of a repeat of the crisis.

Floods cost insurers €244m

Michael Horan of The Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) said: “Flood claims take a long time to decide by their nature, and you have to bear in mind that we had more than 8,500 flood claims relating to November.

"Insurance firms have worked very hard to help people during the floods and we have not received any complaints on our helpline.”

The IIF says the cost of the floods is now €244m, with household insurance claims running at more than €77m.

Of the more than 8,500 claims made by flood victims, more than 4,600 are household, 1,540 are for commercial property and 2,344 are motor cases.

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