Philippine Real Estate Broker

Aside from making sure that your home insurance covers the Acts of God clause, Typhoon Ondoy has one more important implication for Philippine real estate: from today onwards, new homebuyers will only consider elevated properties. People will now be more conscious about the safety features of the properties they plan to invest in, not so much safety from robbers and pollution, but from natural calamities.

Floods from previous typhoons usually affect marginalized sectors of the city and other areas located near rivers and creeks. In the news, we’ve seen how riverside neighborhoods in Pasig, Marikina, and Cainta were most heavily damaged by the flood. However, not all of these neighborhoods were poor; in fact, many middle-class villages like Providence were among the most badly hit by the flood. Even upper class neighborhoods in Metro Manila like Corinthian Gardens, Loyola Grand Villas, and North and South Forbes Park took their own hit from the flood. In other words, the city’s inferior drainage system, lack of urban planning, and increasing amounts of non-biodegradable wastes now make formerly flood-proof areas susceptible to flood damage.

Those who are looking to buy properties should make sure their new home is located on hills and elevated roads, or neighborhoods far from rivers and creeks. Although living in a condominium will generally keep your home and personal belongings safe from the flood, a condominium located in a flood-prone area will eventually accumulate structural damage and weaken over time. Make sure you verify that a property is flood-free before you buy or rent them, so that you don’t have to worry about losing your belongings or the lives of your loved ones.

Photo credit

Typhoon Ondoy taught us that even residential areas in Metro Manila that we thought were flood-proof can get devastated by floodwaters given a large amount of rain. For this reason, you need to make sure that your home insurance policy covers “Acts of God” or “Acts of Nature”, which means that they are liable for natural phenomena like floods, lightning strikes, earthquakes, and other freak natural occurrences that can’t be prevented. In the event that your home gets damaged by a flood or similar nature, you can get your insurance provider to compensate for the repairs.

During disaster-free years, you might get the impression that paying for home insurance and the additional costs of the Acts of God clause are a waste of money. After all, the very nature of the Acts of God clause is that these natural disasters are unpredictable and unexpected. You may not think of your street as flood-prone, but you never know. It’s best to stay protected and stay covered because you may regret being under-insured in the future.

So the next time you speak with your insurance provider, make sure it is clear what situations are considered to be an “Act of God.” Ask them to be very clear about what specific natural disasters are covered by your insurer so that you can have the peace of mind knowing that all will not be lost during freak occurrences.

Photo credit

Last weekend, a number of residential neighborhoods in Metro Manila had to contend with the worst flood in 50 years. Now that Typhoon Ondoy has passed, those who were affected by the flood are now busy cleaning up the house and their personal belonging. Here are some tips and techniques for cleaning flooded items and sanitizing the house after a flood.

General cleaning

[...]