Flood Insurance in Manchester? could it be? (homeowners insurance, mortgage)

[jamm156]

I'll try to make this as short as possible......I bought my house 4 years ago in Manchester and was told by the mortgage company that i would have to purchase flood insurance because the property was in a flood zone. After speaking to the homeowners who told me that they didn't have flood insurance we bought the home and figured there might be some mistake. We pay $2300 a year and still feel like there has to be some mistake. I have gone to the township, i have been given the run around with fema, I have also hired a surveyor to try to help me but was told he couldn't get anywhere with it and gave me my money back. I have also asked both of my neighbors(on both sides) and they said they do not have flood insurance. The property slopes down and has a storm drain that runs through it(which is usually dry). there is a stream aprox 1 mile away. Could this really be accurate that I am the only one that falls into this flood zone? It's alot of money. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[timneh5]

I believe there is a place to check, if you're in a flood zone. I know someone that either called or checked a web site. I'll try to call her to find out exactly what she did and get back to you.

Also, what about these two sites that were advertised on this site:

Floodsmart.gov: Your premier resource for flood insurance information
FreeFlood.com - Is My House in a Flood Zone?

[JERSEY MAN]

I would check with the fema website. I used it a couple of years back and they go by flood elevation. I think there were three 1 you need flood ins. 2 your close by and it's recommended and 3 not in a flood zone. I'm not 100 percent sure. But I remember zooming in and printing out a map of the area where I lived in and it gave the elevation.

[timneh5]

Went into the FEMA site; check this:

FEMA Map Service Center -

Put your address in the upper left corner and on the next page, select view.

FEMA has other types of flood maps, too. There were too many steps for me to remember what the heck I did.

Also, the floodsmart.gov site is recommended by FEMA.

good luck~

[jamm156]

Thank you all for your help.

I have gone to the fema website and located the map for my address. This is what i have found it shows the back of my property in zone AE with the number 42 over the area(whatever that means). Now what i don't understand is where does it state the elevation? My property is on higher ground then the drainage area. It's hard to explain but my backyard slopes down about 7 feet. And i still don't understand why I'm the only one on my street paying this outrageous amount.

[Jerseyt719]

Call FEMA and ask for a flood cert. They should be able to provide it to you. Then you show that to your mortgage company. Also, how much are you insured for? That seems to be a whole lot of money for flood insurance. It seems like for someone in a high risk area. The only insurance you need for flood is how much it would cost to rebuild your house should it become completely demolished by flooding. This amount is usually A LOT less than your mortgage amount.

Best of luck to you. It will take time and research, but you can work this out.

[Edgewood39]

Just so you know, Standard Flood Hazard Determination are not completed by FEMA, they are determined by your mortgage company.

If you are questioning whether the flood zone determination completed by your mortgage company is correct you need to request that they contact their vendor and have a manual review done. If they come back and still say your in a SFHA (special flood hazard area) then you can ask for them to provide you with an exhibit which will hopefully show how they are showing your home affected by the SFHA that is shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map.

If you are required to have flood insurance and you are in a flood zone that has a base flood elevation, your insurance agent should ask for an elevation certificate (EC)to property rate the insurance. Without the EC the insurance is going to be high because they are lacking some of the most important information to rate the policy.

If you get an EC you can submit it to your agent to have the policy re-priced. Also you may want to apply to FEMA for a Letter of Map Amendment or Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill if your elevation show that your Lowest Adjacent Grade is equal to or greater than the Base Flood Elevation.
If your successful FEMA will issue a letter that will allow your lender to waive the requirement for flood insurance and you will be eligible for a refund of the insurance premium. But please keep in mind you may want to voluntarily carry a Preferred Risk Policy even if you get a removal letter from FEMA. Just because someone gets a LOMA or LOMR does not mean they will not flood if an event happens. And homeowners insurance does not cover flood.

Even though floodsmart.gov is a good 'tool' to help people get information about flood zones and insurance; the information on it can not be used by mortgage companies or insurance companies to determine if someone needs flood insurance or not. There is a disclaimer on the site.


Hope this helps and good luck.

[jamm156]

Wow, great information. Yes it is a lot of money, I also would think that someone in a high risk area (like right on the water) would pay this much. I'll contact my mortgage company first thing Monday morning. I hope I get somewhere. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for your time.