ABI call for flood-prone property Kitemark

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has called on the government to implement a kitemark scheme for new-build homes vulnerable to flooding.

It is hoped any potential voluntary kitemark would set minimum construction standards for new homes - such as the use of water-resistant building materials.

"We need new homes, but the UK government’s plans to build three million homes by 2020 are in jeopardy unless we make them more resistant to flooding," said ABI director general, Stephen Haddrill.

"A new standard and kitemark for new housing developments would benefit consumers, developers and insurers."

Gordon Brown's government last year announced plans to build two million new homes by 2016 with a further one million, carbon neutral, homes to be added by 2020.

A kitemark – issued by the British Standards Association (BSI) - signifies products or services which have been assessed and tested and found to meet the requirements of specific standards with an industry.

"Consumers would have more confidence in a property’s ability to withstand a flood, developers could use it as a marketing tool, and insurers would be better placed to offer competitively-priced flood insurance," continued Mr Haddrill, speaking today at the Expo CO2 conference in Barcelona.

"And it would help make the government’s vision a reality."

The ABI is the trade association for Britain’s insurance industry. Its nearly 400 member companies provide over 94 per cent of the insurance business in the UK.