Inherent Defects Insurance - Building the future
Nov 04, 2026
The UK is preparing for one of the most ambitious periods of housebuilding in a generation. After a challenging few years, the outlook is turning. The OBR expects a strong rebound from 2027, with net additions reaching around 305,000 homes a year by 2029-30, the highest level in decades. For the inherent defects insurance market, and for the loss adjusters who support it, this growth brings real opportunity and a responsibility to keep pace.
New ways of building, new considerations
The homes being built today are also different from those of a decade ago.
Modern methods of construction are moving into the mainstream: timber frame, structural insulated panels, modular and panelised systems are all growing across the residential market. Warranty providers have adapted their cover to these methods, but long-term performance data is still building up, which makes technical understanding all the more valuable when a claim arises.
The Future Homes Standard, published in March 2026, will require low-carbon heating and solar panels on new homes in England. Its effects reach well beyond energy systems. Thicker insulation can influence foundations, cavity widths, roof build-ups and window details, while heat pumps and solar panels affect services and roof design.
Together, these changes are shifting the profile of potential claims. Many issues in modern housing relate less to classic structural failure and more to building physics: how insulation, vapour control, ventilation and thermal bridging work together over time.
Why this matters for loss adjusting
As the volume and variety of insured homes grow, so does the need for claims handling that matches the technical sophistication of the buildings themselves.
That means adjusters who understand both traditional construction and newer systems, and who can work alongside structural engineers and surveyors to establish cause quickly and accurately. It means managing claims efficiently across large portfolios, particularly for housing associations, build to rent operators and institutional investors. And it means feeding insight back to underwriters, so that lessons from claims inform how new methods are assessed and improved.
Done well, claims handling supports the whole system: homeowners receive a clear answer and a lasting repair, insurers gain confidence in the risks they write, and the industry builds the evidence it needs to innovate with confidence.
Advanta’s IDI expertise
Advanta’s IDI team brings together loss adjusters, structural engineers and surveyors who understand residential construction in all its forms, from traditional masonry to modern methods and low-carbon homes. The team works with Insurers, warranty providers and their clients to investigate, scope and manage claims to completion, with clear and consistent reporting throughout.
That expertise isn’t limited to the UK. Inherent defects and latent defects cover is used in many markets around the world, and Advanta can support insurers wherever their portfolios extend. Specialists across Advanta’s global network of offices bring local knowledge of construction practices, regulation and language, while clients benefit from the same technical standards and consistent reporting, whichever country the claim is in.
As the UK builds the homes it needs, Advanta is ready to support the market that protects them, at home and around the world.
Article written by Andrew Medlicott, UK Director
