J&B Insurance Brokers director Georgina Brown says 'unfair' embargoes putting strain on Wagga homeowners

Many residents across the city have had issues with insurance providers after recent flooding, as the Wagga area has been placed under embargo - meaning insurers won't quote the area.

As a result, many people seeking insurance are often forced to re-sign with their current provider at huge costs.

Director at J&B Insurance Brokers Georgina Brown said the embargoes were "unfair" as they include areas of the city not in danger of flooding.

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Ms Brown said insurers were "becoming very conservative" due to extreme weather.

"The industry is reacting on the back of the Lismore floods," she said.

North Wagga resident Robyn Dawson's home insurance ran out on Friday, but her insurer told her three weeks ago they would no longer insure her address after three years.

Due to the embargo, Ms Dawson was unable to find another insurer until two days before her current plan ran out.

"It has been [stressful] and a lot of people in North Wagga don't even have flood cover," she said. "We've virtually been on tenterhooks since the [flooding began]."

Ms Brown said the embargoes have placed significant strain on Wagga residents.

"They're either finding they can't get it, or are having to take it from a company who may not be providing the best price," she said.

Another North Wagga resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the DA she had to re-sign with her current insurer for 50 per cent more than her old policy.

"My insurance was fairly high anyway, I was paying $7500 a year," she said.

"Then about a month ago, before the first river rise, my policy ran out, they put it up 50 per cent, now it's $11,000 a year," she said.

The woman wasn't told why the policy surged and felt she had no other option but to take on the increase.

"You can understand why it's happening ... but I wouldn't have expected it to be this brutal," she said.

First-time home buyers are also left in a precarious position, Ms Brown said.

"The point of an embargo is to avoid the situation where a customer is only now wanting cover because damage is imminent," she said.

"But when you have people buying new houses, it may mean they only have two insurers to choose from instead of nine or 10."

Ms Brown said premiums across the country have risen over the past two years as insurers seek to recoup their losses and at the same time prepare for future "extreme weather events".

The issue is likely to persist with wild weather set to continue, Ms Brown said. Some insurers even now have waiting periods - letting you take out a policy, but not insuring you for the first 21 days.

"Not just on property, but on motor vehicles as well. Anything that covers storm damage is going to be incorporated in an embargo," she said.

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