Research from the ABI reveals that 25% of UK adults don’t know if their current home is at risk of flooding and storm damage - and only 27% of those would know how to find out.   

As autumn approaches the ABI is encouraging people to check their flood risk and take some simple steps to help protect their properties against the damage that extreme weather can cause.   

The ABI’s flooding and storm preparedness survey revealed that one in 10 UK adults have experienced flood or storm damage in their current home – and 45% said that they wish they had taken more steps to mitigate against it.   

Not only can storms and flood damage be incredibly stressful, often it can result in very costly repair bills. During the first half of this year alone, claims for weather-related damage to people’s homes and possessions hit £424 million.¹ 

Regular maintenance can help prevent more substantial damage from occurring and make properties more resilient.   

The ABI’s data shows that while 84% of Brits said that they had taken some measures to protect their home, the figure drops when it comes to key preventative steps they should take:  

• 55% haven’t unblocked gutters and drains    
• 56% don’t check their roof tiles   
• 68% don’t remove overhanging or loose branches near their home   
• 76% haven’t signed up to flood alerts  
• 83% haven’t installed flood doors   
• 84% haven’t installed air brick covers   

To limit the damage that adverse weather may cause to your home, the ABI is urging people to consider: 

• Fixing loose tiles or damaged guttering, and clearing out leaves etc. from gutters and downpipes  
• Keeping an eye out for leaks by looking 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  
• Checking any trees near your property and safely removing any overhanging or loose branches. If the tree isn’t on your land, contact the owner – it could be a neighbour or the council  
• Repairing any cracks or loose fittings in doors and windows  
• Servicing your boiler annually and taking steps to reduce the risk of frozen pipes   If a property is at a high risk of flooding, installing some flood resilience measures could make the recovery much easier if the worst does happen. This could include:  
• Placing sockets higher up on the wall  
• If you’re replacing your flooring, opting for tiles rather than carpets  
• Installing flood doors, barriers, gates or self-closing airbricks to prevent water from entering the property  
• Considering the outside space. Permeable paving, grass and planting can help to absorb surface water run-off   
• Signing up for flood alerts  
• Not only is it important to keep your property well maintained to help minimise the impact of storms and flooding, it will also help you through the claims process.  

Flooding or storm damage can be incredibly distressing and costly. Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather, but we can take steps to help lessen the damage it can cause to our homes – and the disruption to our lives.   

During extreme weather events, insurers’ first priority will be to help their customers return to normal life as quickly as possible. But prevention is always better than cure, so we’d encourage everyone to take action and prepare their homes in case of extreme weather strikes.

Louise Clark

Manager of General Insurance Policy at the ABI