According to recent figures released by the Association for British Insurers (ABI), insurers paid out £596 million for weather-related damage to homes and possessions in 2025. Up 21 per cent from last year, this is a record high for the UK, which has had to contend with consistent and prolonged periods of extreme weather and floods.
The Met Office issued multiple flood and storm warnings throughout 2025, with the likes of Storm Éowyn in January and most recently Storm Bram bringing persistent heavy rain, over 60mm in areas, and winds up to 100mph.
This new ABI data offers local authorities a stark reminder of the urgency with which climate resilience measures are needed to protect our communities. According to Mainmark UK, leading ground engineering company, a wider awareness of subsidence in homes falls under these climate measures needed.
Subsidence is when the ground beneath a property sinks, causing cracks in the brickwork and compromising its safety. It is now considered a considerable climate risk for homeowners, with more wet and warm summers predicted. Studies suggest that up to 1.2 million additional homes in England could be exposed to subsidence risk by 2050.
Freya Chapman, Residential Lead for Mainmark UK, said: “In recent years, surges in subsidence have been attributed to prolonged periods of heat, which dries out and shrinks the soil beneath our homes. When this happens, the foundations can shift, and properties can become vulnerable to movement.
“Flooding and storms can also cause subsidence by washing out the fines and creating micro-voids. If these get larger over time, our homes can sink down into these voids.
“The wider impact of subsidence for the public is huge – not least, potentially rendering our homes unsafe.
“If left untreated, subsidence is costly to fix and while some insurers might cover it in the first instance, an upward trend in these claims will cause premiums to rise. Homes with a high subsidence risk – generally those built in areas of soft clay soil and located near trees – may even be refused cover.”
Futureproofing our communities is a priority for Mainmark, who, through its involvement with key events like Local Government Procurement Expo, London Build and UK Construction Week, is working on educating the public on the common signs of subsidence.
These include cracks appearing in walls which grow larger over time, sinking floors and water pooling around a property.
Freya believes that through industry associations like the Subsidence Forum Committee, which recruits housing developers, architects, arborists, geologists, insurers and subsidence experts, collaboration to solve these issues head-on is very achievable.
Freya continued: “For every potential climate threat, collaboration between local government and industry experts will be the ultimate solution to futureproofing. The likelihood of damage to homes and infrastructure from floods, storms, and droughts will only worsen the longer these risks lie unaddressed.
“There has been a lot of progress in recent years in researching and developing new, sustainable methods of soil testing, which will hopefully provide housing associations and developers with ‘concrete’ evidence on soil quality, depth and structural integrity ahead of any large-scale construction projects.
“The latest ABI figures highlight the urgent need to integrate climate resilience into new housing developments by designing and building homes that can withstand extreme weather, such as flooding, high winds, and extreme heat, and the resulting risks like subsidence.”
Mainmark UK, part of the Mainmark group of companies, was established in the UK in 2015. Hitting its milestone tenth anniversary this year, the company is aiming to further its innovative and efficient solutions to a wide array of ground engineering challenges, with Freya at the helm of its residential offering.
