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ABI publishes guidance on insurance for new developments

Tuesday, 27 January 2009 11:16 AM

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) will publish guidance today to help developers ensure their properties are as flood proof as possible and are insurable.

The guidance will also help buyers to make the right choice when assessing the flood risk of a new property.

The ABI's members constitute over 90 per cent of the insurance market in the UK and 20 per cent across the EU. They control assets equivalent to a quarter of the UK's capital. The launch of the guidance, 'Climate Adaptation: Guidance on Insurance for New Developments', will be at an ABI conference held today, entitled 'Building for the Future'.

Stephen Haddrill, the ABI's director general, said: "Climate change means buildings are increasingly vulnerable to damage caused by severe weather, such as flooding. We all want new sustainable communities and a thriving housing market, but this can only happen if we design, build and locate new properties to withstand changing climate.

"These guidelines will help developers and planners to build properties to withstand the impacts of climate change. We encourage the building industry to develop a kite mark scheme, so that buyers and insurers can easily see if a building has been designed to be climate-resilient. Avoiding high flood-risk areas, and building better protected buildings will enable flood insurance to remain widely available and competitively priced."

The ABI suggests the following steps which insurers will expect to be taken to reduce the flood risk in new developments:

  • Approval by the relevant authority - the Environment Agency in England and Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency or the Northern Ireland Rivers Agency.
  • Where buildings are located in flood risk areas, developers should provide buyers with details of specific measures taken to reduce the risk, such as raised floors, flood-resilient building materials, and an assessment of the remaining risk and exposure.

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