It?s contrary to what Suncorp told me would happen.
EVEN high and dry Toowoomba home owners face huge increases to premiums on home and contents insurance as the billion-dollar payouts of the 2011 floods take their toll.
Insurers across the board have announced increased costs for flood-prone properties, but in many cases homes outside flood areas have also been slugged.
One Cohoe St resident has been hit with almost triple the premium she was paying 12 months ago.
She received a bill this week saying her Suncorp insurance premium had risen from $758 to $2091 within the space of a year.
"After a lot of haggling, the guy on the other end of the phone checked and agreed we weren't in a flood zone," the woman said.
"He eventually reduced the price to $1200, as long as we increased the excess for our home and contents to $1000.
"Then I rang RACQ and was offered a $950 premium with $1000 excess on home and only $300 on contents."
The woman decided to go with the latter option, but was concerned many residents would not shop around.
"If I were some frail old lady and got this bill, with no explanation in the letter, I wouldn't know what to do," she said.
Former council candidate Rosemary Morley has been in contact with the woman and forwarded her complaints to local and State Government representatives.
"She lives on the top of the Range and couldn't get flooded if she tried," Ms Morley said.
"Tripling the price is just scandalous.
"We've been loyal Suncorp customers forever, but now we're waiting in trepidation for our next bill to arrive."
A Suncorp spokesman said all insurance providers were reviewing their premiums and flood mitigation works by councils could help bring costs back down.
He said accounts were designed on a case-by-case basis using flood mapping and modelling as a guide.
Federal Member for Groom Ian Macfarlane has told residents he would follow up their complaints with insurance companies in the coming days if their homes had been wrongly declared high-risk.
"This is contrary to what Suncorp told me would happen," he said in an email.
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Source: http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2012/09/26/insurance-billshockfor-safe-home/
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