Insurance providers urged to join national body to meet the subsidence challenge

Effective communication will be vital if the insurance claims industry is to respond decisively to the current subsidence surge, Catalyst director Paul Duddle has told delegates attending an I Love Claims conference.

He was speaking on behalf of the Subsidence Forum as a member of an expert panel debating the impact of subsidence on the claims industry at the ILC Property Conference at the Telford International Centre.

Shortage of expertise

“If claims are not managed effectively, with clarity, policy holders can become extremely frustrated, delays can become compounded, and robust, long-term solutions can become illusive.

“This is important because, although subsidence is currently a relatively small element of overall insurance claims spend, we’re likely to see claims volumes increase rapidly, due to climate change, and the expertise needed to manage them is in short supply.”

Subsidence surge underway

There are examples where critical problems have occurred, with different elements of the claims response process becoming siloed, creating gaps in communication and customer care, Paul added.

However, there are also examples of exceptional practice, with customers engaged with from first notification of loss through site investigations, mitigation and both sub-structural and structural repairs.

There were clear signs that the record dry summer of 2025 had triggered a subsidence surge, as clay soils dried out and shrank, leaving the foundations of thousands of buildings less well supported.

With the UK forecast to see more frequent summer droughts as an element of more volatile weather patterns, subsidence surges could become more frequent and more intense, said Paul.

Problems in future years

Members of the Subsidence Forum were also seeing a migration north of subsidence issues from the clay bands of London and the southeast, a process attributed to climate change.

The more intensive drying of soils during summer droughts increased the risk of surface water flooding during the more intensive periods of rain, triggered by global warming, as the compacted soil is less able to reabsorb water.

There was also the risk that a subsidence surge one year could contribute to a more intense surge the following year. This is because the soil has not had a chance to recover in a way that ensures building foundations remain stable.

Paul urged insurance companies to join the Subsidence Forum and work collaboratively with its members to fully understand how the current surge, and future ones, will impact claims customers, their businesses, and the wider claims industry.

Positive impact on customer satisfaction

He said: “It’s in all our interests to be prepared for what’s to come, in terms of climate change and the pressures on our built environment. Effective communication is also needed to find solutions to these challenges.”

Brad Jackson, Managing Director of Catalyst, who attended the ILC conference on 27^th November, said: “At Catalyst, we’re putting into practice the communication systems Paul advocates.

“It’s already having a hugely positive impact on claims customers’ satisfaction and indemnity spend. We’d be very happy to share this experience with insurance claims specialists and loss adjustors.”

Find out more about Catalyst

Catalyst delivers a comprehensive range of services to resolve claims for a growing number of insurance providers, brokers, and loss adjusters.

They include: drainage investigations and repairs (mains and off-mains), water supply pipe repairs and replacement, water leak detection, subsidence investigations, and environmental services.

Telephone: 0333 004 8008

Email: [email protected]