With the Met Office predicting increased rain and storms due to the ‘largest’ El Niño weather event seen in a century, the ABI is urging people to use the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend to check their homes and make sure they’re prepared for bad weather this autumn and winter.¹

Previous research conducted for the trade association by Opinium found that 1 in 4 (25%) UK adults don’t know if their home is at risk of flooding and storm damage, and nearly half (45%) who had experienced flooding wish they’d taken more steps to prevent or mitigate the damage.^₂

Last year, insurers paid out £1.2 billion for damage to people’s homes and businesses caused by extreme weather, with 46% of this paid in the second half of the year.³ 

Regular maintenance can help people prevent damage and make their homes more resilient long term. If it is safe to do so, taking simple steps now can make a difference should a storm hit later in the year, such as:

• Unblocking gutters and drains
• Checking roof tiles
• Removing overhanging or loose branches of nearby trees
• Identifying leaks by checking for puddles of water, discolouration or a change of texture in walls or ceilings, musty smells or signs of mould or mildew, and fix these early
• Servicing your boiler annually and taking steps to reduce the risk of frozen pipes  

With wet weather expected later this year, the ABI has also encouraged people to:

• Check the flood risk in their local area
• Sign up to flood alerts

To keep properties resilient to flooding, there are also a number of more substantial steps people can take if their property is at risk. For example, moving plug sockets higher up on walls, opting for tiles or waterproof flooring over carpet, and installing flood gates can all help to limit the damage from flooding and speed up the recovery process.

While storms and flooding may be the last thing on people's minds after the heatwaves, the Met Office's warning of a wet and stormy season ahead is another reminder of how unpredictable and powerful our weather can be. Insurers are on hand to help people recover after extreme weather, but taking simple steps now can help reduce the risk of damage to homes and businesses.

This upcoming Bank Holiday weekend is the perfect opportunity to get ahead of the bad weather and make sure your property is prepared. We also call on government to ensure stronger climate resilience measures are built into all new homes, helping to reduce the risk of damage and better protect communities in the long term.

Chris Bose

Director of General Insurance and International Policy

Notes to editors

Footnotes:

1. Met Office: An ‘unprecedented’ El Niño and its implications for the weather forecast.
2. The ABI’s preparedness data is based on a survey of 2,000 people, conducted by Opinium Research (October, 2024)
3. ABI 2025 Property insurance claims data.
4. Read our full guidance on coping with storm damage here.   

Insurers expect bad weather to strike at any time and events such as storm damage or flooding are exactly what insurance is there for. If your property has been affected by adverse weather, contact your insurer as soon as you can, and they will be able to offer help and advice.  

Before bad weather strikes, the ABI also recommends:   

• Have contact details of your home insurer to hand in a safe waterproof place, along with other emergency contact numbers for your utility providers and the local authority.   
• Listen out for bad weather warnings on local radio and TV, and follow advice from The Met Office,  Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales or the Rivers Agency (Northern Ireland) and sign up for their free flood warning service.
• Keep a mobile phone with you.   
• Check if it is safe to use electricity, gas and water supplies.   

See the Flood Mary website for more practical measures you can take to improve your property’s flood resilience .

Flood Re is available to help people who live in flood risk areas and meet the Flood Re eligibility criteria gain access to affordable home insurance. As part of Flood Re’s Build Back Better initiative, some firms offer eligible homeowners the chance to install Property Flood Resilience measures (up to the value of £10,000) when repairing their properties after a flood. More information on Flood Re is available here. 4 out of 5 of those with previous flood claims have seen a price reduction in their insurance premium of more than 50% since the Scheme’s inception in 2016. 

For more information, please contact [email protected] 

About us

The ABI is the definitive voice of the UK’s world-leading insurance and long-term savings industry, which is the largest sector in Europe and the third largest in the world. 

We represent more than 300 firms within our membership including most household names and specialist providers, providing peace of mind to customers across the UK. 

Our sector is productive, inclusive and essential to the UK economy and together, we are driving change to protect and build a thriving society.

Find out more at abi.org.uk