Article - UK Property Claims
Jun 03, 2025
At Advanta, we’ve had a busy couple of years expanding our UK Property team and growing our network of regional satellite offices across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This investment has paid off; in the past 12 months alone we’ve been instructed on over 600 UK property claims, and we’re continuing to grow.
The claims we’ve been involved in span a broad range of property types: residential let portfolios (including holiday homes and student accommodation), high net worth homes, unoccupied properties awaiting probate, and commercial premises like factories, warehouses, retail units, veterinary surgeries, hotels and hospitality venues. Despite the diversity, familiar themes keep cropping up, so I thought I’d share a few of the key lessons we’ve learnt.
Tech could reduce burst pipe claims
Burst pipe claims remain one of the most common types of property damage — particularly during winter cold snaps. The risk increases significantly when properties are unoccupied, regardless of whether it's a short-term gap (as with holiday lets or student accommodation) or a longer-term vacancy, such as properties going through probate.
In our experience, most landlords choose to leave the central heating on at the minimum level required by the policy (usually around 12°C) rather than draining down the system completely. But all too often, a boiler fails without anyone realising, and when freezing weather hits it results in burst pipes and extensive water damage.
Fortunately, assessing whether the heating was left on is usually straightforward. We routinely analyse utility bills and meter readings against expected use based on the property's size, construction, and insulation. It’s a key step in helping our insurer and MGA clients establish policy liability with confidence.
Still, we think there’s more that can be done to reduce these claims. Smart tech like temperature sensors, leak detectors, or boiler monitors can alert landlords to a problem before it escalates. These tools are increasingly affordable, and it might be time to consider ways to incentivise their use. The fewer burst pipe claims we see, the better for everyone.
Quantity Surveyors add value – and it helps when they're an internal resource
When losses start creeping into six figures or more, having a specialist Quantity Surveyor (QS) involved can make a real difference. We’ve seen cases where their input has significantly reduced reinstatement costs (sometimes by as much as 50%) by challenging inflated scopes of work, questioning pricing, or helping phase repairs in a more logical, cost-effective way.
A QS ensures reinstatement reflects the damage as it is, not as an opportunity for enhancement. That’s particularly important when betterment becomes an issue, or when the property wasn’t exactly in showroom condition before the loss. Bringing a QS in early often helps avoid disputes down the line and keeps things moving - especially vital for commercial premises like shops, warehouses or hospitality venues where delays directly affect income.
Even on smaller losses where a QS isn’t involved, we often draw on the expertise of colleagues from Advanta’s RICS-accredited Quantity Surveying firm. Their input helps us validate specific reinstatement points or sense-check costings when something doesn’t quite add up. It’s an added layer of support we offer our clients, helping to achieve settlements that satisfy all stakeholders while keeping our client’s best interests firmly at the forefront.
Managing Betterment: A Delicate Balancing Act
We’ve all had that tricky conversation about betterment, when a claim starts looking suspiciously like a renovation project. Sometimes the insured property was in a ‘tired’ state before the damage (think peeling paint, worn floors).
Our job is to bring everyone back to basics: insurance is about putting the insured back in the same position, not a better one. That can mean some tough but fair discussions with contractors and policyholders to separate genuine reinstatement from improvement works. Getting this right helps ensure settlements stay proportionate and insurers aren’t picking up the tab for long-standing wear and tear.
Underinsurance: A Risk That Isn’t Going Away
Whilst insurance companies and insurance brokers have worked hard to inform and educate clients more still needs to be done. Construction inflation may have eased, but its legacy lingers. We’re still seeing underinsurance in around 30% more claims than we did just four or five years ago — a worrying trend especially as we’ve seen underinsurance levels that are higher than 60%.
Applying average isn’t just a technical calculation. It’s a conversation, and one that can be difficult in the heat of a claim. We work hard to ensure insureds understand why it’s being applied, and we support our clients in handling those conversations with clarity and sensitivity.
A Team Game
The UK continues to see a rise in catastrophic weather events - from heavy rainfall and flash floods to damaging winds and storms. These incidents don’t just test properties; they test claims response systems too. Handling surge volumes effectively requires more than just speed. It demands accurate loss reserving, timely preliminary reporting, and meaningful engagement with our clients and insureds to keep claims on track and expectations aligned.
This past January was a clear demonstration of our capability. As severe weather hit, we were able to mobilise quickly, pooling our national resources to support clients where they most needed it. Our expanded UK Property team meant we could deliver both scale and quality, ensuring our insurer and MGA clients had the insight and responsiveness they needed, and their policyholders received the support they expected.
Final Thoughts
Claims are rarely simple, but they don’t have to be complicated. At Advanta, our aim is to make sure every party has the information and support they need, when they need it, so claims can move forward quickly and fairly.
If you’d like to talk to us about how we can support your UK property claims portfolio or learn more about our expertise then we’d love to hear from you.
Andrew Medlicott has spent more than 25 years as a loss adjuster and has significant experience dealing with UK natural catastrophe losses. As well as managing client relationships, he is responsible for the development of Advanta’s UK Property business unit.
amedlicott@advantaglobal.com
T: +44 (0) 7525 901 186
