Surge in subsidence insurance payouts following last summer’s heatwave

Thousands of homeowners felt the impact of last summer’s record-breaking heatwave, the Association of British Insurers said.

Dried soil in August 2022 as record-breaking temperatures last summer triggered a surge in subsidence claim payouts, according to the Association of British Insurers (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Archive)

Record-breaking temperatures last summer have pushed the total value of subsidence claims to a 16-year high, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

Around 18,000 subsidence claims were made during the second half of 2022 – the equivalent of one new claim being made about every 15 minutes, the ABI said.

While the final insurance bill has not been fully settled due to ongoing monitoring of some homes, the ABI said its members expect to pay out £219 million for subsidence claims made in 2022.