by According to ABI, persistent bad weather conditions meant that the April to June claim total was the fifth consecutive quarter in which weather-related claims exceeded the £100 million mark.
Claims for damage to homes caused by storms, heavy rain and frozen pipes reached £144 million, with weather the main factor in private sector payouts. Other problems such as subsidence also increased insurers’ overall payouts.
While insurers have faced rising costs in times of high inflation, bill payers have seen an average year-on-year increase in combined home insurance premiums of 19% in the second quarter of this year.
And Sam Richardson of consumer group Which? said insurers still had to face criticism.
“High-quality building insurance is becoming increasingly important, but customer claim acceptance rates for these products are among the lowest,” he said.
“While some building insurers are increasing their prices, research has shown that some are prolonging their customers’ suffering by failing to handle claims appropriately.
“Some home insurance customers who cannot afford to pay for coverage in one annual lump sum and instead pay monthly also face huge interest rates.”
Louise Clark, policy adviser at the ABI, said providers would do everything in their power to provide “price-competitive insurance cover”.
She also called on the government to take measures to combat the causes and effects of floods.
The average payout on a home insurance claim rose 16% to £5,284 in the first three months of the year between April and June.
