Getting on track to Build Back Better
Martin Cornes, Director of Quadrassist, the managed building repair network for Woodgate & Clark
The following is based on an article that first appeared in the CII Journal, March 2025.
The latest ABI data shows insurers paid out a record £585 million for weather-related property claims in 2024, with claims from storms, heavy rain and frozen pipes surpassing the previous record by £77 million. Since the start of the year, the Environment Agency estimates that the total number of properties reported to have been flooded stands at 1,600. Flood risks are increasing so it is vital that the homes and businesses affected are made more resilient in the event of a future flood. As such, it is good to see increasing numbers of insurers signing up to the Build Back Better scheme, designed to reduce the cost and impact of future floods by including property resilience measures as part of flood repairs. BBB offers policyholders the chance to install flood resilience measures up to the value of £10,000.
The Admiral Group’s UK Insurance business committed to the scheme in February 2025 after Covea, Hiscox and RSA pledged in November 2024 to join the initial five members, who had been a part of the scheme since its launch in 2016.
Needless to say, Quadrassist, is fully accredited to carry out work to Build Back Better standards.
This is good progress but to truly benefit from the programme, we need to see more insurance providers on board. The Property Care Association wants to see a unified approach and emphasises the importance of coordination in flood efforts. Just like a flood barrier, efforts to reduce impact will be in vain if they’re not structured and unified.
There have been questions raised regarding eligibility for the scheme but reports from insurers in November show one provider found 13 claims eligible for BBB. And Zurich received positive feedback on the launch of its BBB toolkit.
What is perhaps more concerning is policyholder hesitancy to agree to the works. It might be understandable that after going through the long process of drying out their property, policyholders maybe reticent to accept an extension to the works date of completion. They want to settle back in and get on with life. But this is a crucial learning point as the more resilience tools that can be installed, the less likely they will find themselves in the same position again.
So how can we help consumers come round to our way of thinking? We can acknowledge head on that we know repairs are stressful but there are considerable benefits such as cost savings from flood repairs in the future; the possibility of lower insurance premiums; greater peace of mind; speed of recovery in a future flood; and improved market value of the property with the measures in place.
But even if they are persuaded of all these benefits the reality is further disruption so it’s vital we involve the customer in the planned works, help them feel in control, put their mind at ease about timelines and give them a single point of contact for any queries or concerns. Ultimately by being considerate of the customer’s situation and needs, listening to their concerns and conveying the benefits we can build a good case for Build Back Better.
The important action is for insurance providers to get involved now, secure their BBB accreditation, use accredited repairers such as Quadrassist, and give their customers more options when a flood strikes.
For more information, contact Martin Cornes at Quadrassist and see how our building network can help your business deliver sustainable repairs and reinstatements.
