Extreme rainfall events are on the rise in the UK but quotes with claims for flood and storm damage have fallen, new home insurance data has revealed.
According to the Met Office, the UK is now 9% wetter than in 1961 and it is anticipated it will experience much wetter winters going forward, with rainfall in the summer also becoming more intense.
This, experts warned, will have a considerable impact on the regularity and severity of surface water flooding.
But despite this it would seem quotes for claims for flood and storm damage have fallen significantly in the last five years.
Go.Compare Home Insurance said, in 2017, it provided 3,448 home insurance quotes for properties that had previously claimed for flood damage. However, this decreased by 30% in 2022.
A similar trend can be seen in the number of home insurance quotes that had a previous storm damage claim, which fell by over 20% between 2017 and 2022.
Mary Long-Dhonau OBE, flood resilience advisor and campaigner of MDA Flood Resilience Consultants, offered a possible explanation for this contradiction.
“The government has doubled its investment in flood risk management and there’s also been a large increase in property flood resilience schemes, which will have reduced claims,” she said. “But this is in combination with other factors.
“Climate change is here, and flood risk will continue to increase, especially surface water flooding. Clouds are now heavier and move more slowly. This means they stay and drop their contents in one localised area. This type of flash flooding is much harder to predict.”
According to the Environment Agency, over 300,000 homes in England are now better protected from the effects of climate change after the government’s investment in flood defences.
Upcoming schemes hope to reduce the national flood risk by another 11% and avoid around £32 billion of wider economic damages.
Preparing your home for more rainfall
Ceri McMillan, home insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “We hope that this downturn in flood and storm damage claims is a result of better flood protections and successful flood defence schemes.
“However, the latest expert data shows that surface water flooding is likely to become worse and more frequent, so investing in protection for your home is still incredibly important.
“Even if you don’t live in a high-risk area, it’s best to be covered for all eventualities. Flood insurance is included as part of any standard home insurance policy, so you won’t need to take out extra cover, but you’ll be protected from any damage or loss in the event of a flood.”
