Premier Services - The Insurance Experts

If you've seen the news coverage in recent years of floods in the mid west, the west coast and other areas, you may have been distressed at the sight of families and communities helplessly watching their world wash away. And you may have discovered, as many of these people did, that Home Insurance policies do not include Flood Insurance. In other words, losses occurring from flood (water covering an area of one acre or two properties), surface water, tidal wave, overflow of streams, lakes and rivers are excluded. If you live near a body of water, you may want to consider flood insurance.

Simply complete our online application form and we will provide you with a Flood Insurance quote.

Did you know?
As a home buyer, you could be just a week away from settlement and find out that the mortgage company has requested flood insurance for the property. It may be that some portion of the property line is in a special flood hazard area, but the dwelling may be out of the special flood hazard area. The mortgage company puts the responsibility on the buyer to either submit to their request and purchase flood insurance, or pay the fee for a land surveyor to establish if the home itself is or is not in a special flood hazard area.

As a new home buyer, you may need to investigate this for yourself. A land surveyor will determine whether or not the home is situated in a special flood hazard area. If the survey determines that the home is outside the special flood hazard area, the homebuyer does not have to purchase flood insurance to satisfy the mortgage requirements. But be warned that according to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) data, homes located just outside the special flood hazard area have a 33 percent chance of flooding. To help homeowners avert disaster should it strike, preferred flood insurance rates for homes in these areas are very inexpensive.

To determine your flood zone simply download form 202, complete the form and FAX back to 215.663.9794 and your zone will be determined within 24 hours.

Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your system. To download this application, please click here.

Your mortgage carrier checks the flood maps to see if any portion of a homeowners property (land or building) is in a flood zone. If some portion of a property lies in the special flood hazard area, then the mortgage company requires a homeowner to have flood insurance to cover the structure. If a homeowner thinks their home (the dwelling) is outside this area and only the land is located in this special flood hazard area, then to be sure, a homeowner can hire a land surveyor, city engineer, professional engineer or architect to legally confirm or determine this to be true. If it is determined that the building / house is indeed outside the special flood hazard area and only the land is in this area, then a homeowner has the choice of either purchasing the lowest flood insurance rates or not carrying flood insurance at all. The mortgage company places the responsibility on the homeowners at the explense of the homeowner to hire a surveyor. The surveyor will measure and calculate the foot hight of the highest possible flood water against the lowest foot hight of the building which is the basement floor. This information is recorded on an "Elevation Certificate". Click for a partial list of Surveyors in the Philadelphia area.

Elevation Certificates are required for all homes built after 1974 and located in the special flood hazard area. An elevation certificate is a form certifying specific elevations for a given structure. The certificate identifies adjacent grade, lowest flood elevation, base flood elevation, and elevation difference. This is used to determine the flood insurance rates for a property. Without this certificate, the homeowner can be charged up to 2 to 3 times the normal rate for insurance.

If a homeowner does not have this certificate and needs to purchase flood insurance for a rush settlement, then the homeowner has 30 days to acquires the certificate and will be refunded the extra flood insurance premium. Contact any land surveyor, city engineer, professional engineer or architect to purchase a certificate.

You can also call a customer service representative at NSCI (National Con-Serv, Inc.) for an immediate certificate price quote and within 48 hours they will put you in contact with a qualified surveyor in your area who can provide the elevation certificate at a reasonable cost. NCSI's toll free number is 800-368-7720 and their web site is: http://www.ncsi-net.com/.

Warning: Flood coverage cannot be immediately increased on a building. There is a 30 day waiting period. The only exception is when a mortgage lender requires increased coverage. This can present a problem if you only bought enough flood insurance to cover your loan amount and not have enough to cover the full replacement value of the structure or not have purchased coverage on your contents located above the basement. If an approaching storm, hurricane or other flood related disaster is tracked to hit your location, you will not be able to purchase additional coverage and fully protect your structure or contents above the basement.

General Property Form of the Standard Flood Insurance Policy

Flood Insurance General Coverage Quick View