Cost of flooding damages increased by 218% over 5 years, new data reveals

• In total, more than 122,000 homes were considered at ‘high risk’ of flooding in England by the Environment Agency at the end of 2023. A 1.3% increase compared to 2018².
• However, some areas of England have seen a substantial increase in high risk properties - with London’s risk increasing by 37.5% between 2018 and 2023.
• On a county level, Merseyside has seen a 300% increase in the number of high flood risk properties since 2018, from 360 to 1,440.
• Further research finds 1 in 4 (25%) UK homeowners or renters live, or have lived in a flood risk area. With 28% experiencing flooding damage to their personal property.
• Are you at risk? Confused.com maps out the areas across England most at risk of flooding, and how your area has been affected.

The cost of damages caused by flooding has increased by 218% over 5 years, with UK residents claiming almost £31m in total over the period¹.

That’s according to new data released by Confused.com. It found that the value of claims for flooding damage increased from £3.5m in total paid out in 2020, to just over £11m in 2024. In total, more than 1,600 claims were made on home insurance policies over the 5 year period. In 2020, 201 claims were made, compared to 531 in 2024. This amounted to a significant sum of claims paid out by insurers.

The data comes as Confused.com investigates how many properties are considered high risk of flooding. And the impact this has had on homeowners and renters.

An FOI to the Environment Agency found that just over 122,000 homes are considered at ‘high risk’ of flooding in England². This is a 1.3% increase compared to 2018. These homes have a 3.3% chance of being flooded annually to be considered at ‘high risk’. This means they’re vulnerable to being flooded once every 30 years.

However, according to the data, some areas are more vulnerable today compared to 2018. For example, London has seen a 37.5% increase in the number of properties at high risk of flooding.From just over 8,000 in 2018 to more than 11,000 in 2023. This means more than 3,000 properties are at higher risk today than 5 years ago.

Similarly, the North East has seen a 8.7% increase in high risk properties over the same period - from 1,121 to 1,218 between 2018 and 2023.

Meanwhile, the South East is reported to have the highest number of high risk homes in the region, with more than 33,000 reported in 2023. This is in fact a 1.2% decrease compared to 2018.

The number of high risk properties across England from 2018 - 2023

On a more granular level, Merseyside has seen a 300% increase in the number of high risk properties over the same 5 years. In 2018, only 360 homes were considered ‘high risk’, rising to 1,440 in 2023 - an increase of 1,080 homes.

This is followed by Tyne and Wear, which saw an 104.5% increase over the 5 years, rising from 88, to 180.

Meanwhile, at the end of 2023, London had the highest number of ‘high risk’ homes, with 11,443 (+37.5%) in total. This is followed by Devon, with 8,992 (+4.4%), and Lincolnshire with 8,320 (-28.1%).

There are still over a hundred thousand properties at risk today. But some areas of England have in fact seen their total drop between 2018 and 2023. For example, in Lancashire, there were 33.7% fewer homes reported in 2023 compared to 2018. Similarly, in East Sussex, the total fell by 30.4% over the same period. In total, 19 of the 47 English counties saw a decrease in the number of high flood risk properties between 2018 and 2023.

Are you at risk? Flooding is impacting some areas more than others.So Confused.com has created a tool where users can look up the flood risk in local parliamentary areas, and how this has changed over time.

There are many reasons for why the number of homes at risk of flooding has increased over the years. Climate change is a contributing factor, leading to more rainfall and rising water levels. But we’re also seeing more and more homes being built each year, which could be putting more properties at risk. For example, there were approximately 24.2m residential properties in England in 2018³, and 25.4m in 2023⁴ - a 5% increase over the 5 year period. Not all of these would be considered at ‘high risk’ of flooding when you consider the 1.3% increase reported by the Environment Agency. But there’s a likelihood that many of these new properties could have been built on land that’s in close proximity to water. Because of this they could be at risk of flooding.

According to further research by Confused.com, 1 in 4 (25%) UK homeowners or renters live, or have lived in a flood risk area. Of these, almost 3 in 4 (71%) experienced flooding in their local area, and more than 1 in 4 (28%) had flooding in their personal property.

In these cases, more than 2 in 3 (69%) claimed that the damage caused to their property was severe. And this is reflected in the value of damage caused to their home, which was around £849, on average. However, almost 1 in 4 (23%) of those affected by flooding in their property claimed that the damages totalled more than £1,000.

Victims have claimed millions of pounds from their insurers.So it’s clear that insurance is supporting those affected in reclaiming costs, easing the financial burden that damages to homes can cause. According to the research, almost a third (62%) of those affected claimed on their insurance, reclaiming more than £900 back in total, on average.

“It’s not only the financial impact that’s affecting people. The emotional impact of flood damage can be extremely distressing. People have to repair or replace items in their home, or in some cases rebuild. In some cases, homes become unlivable, with more than a third (35%) of those affected having to move out of their homes. And this has had a knock on effect too, with 1 in 5 (21%) claiming that they’ve moved house to a property that’s less at risk of flooding.

It’s no surprise that almost half (45%) of those who are affected by flooding take precautions when a flood risk is issued.With a further 43% feeling anxious during severe weather warnings. Worryingly, only 20% of all UK homeowners and renters sign up to flood risk alerts.With more than 2 in 5 (44%) taking no action at all.

Local environmental agencies issue alerts when a flood warning is live, which can encourage people to take precautions. While this doesn’t prevent damages from happening in severe cases, it gives people the time to protect their properties the best they can.

With homes becoming unlivable, and properties being damaged, flooding can have a very distressing impact on residents in the UK. Understanding the risk in your area is important to knowing how you can best prepare for flood events and minimise any impact where you can.

Matthew Harwood, home insurance expert at Confused.com comments, “Flooding is something that affects the UK every year, from severe rainfall to flash flooding. The impact that this is having on homes and communities across the country can be devastating. It’s concerning to see that people are having to recover more from their insurers today than compared to 5 years ago.

“The aftermath of flood damage can have a profound impact on people. That’s before they have to recover the cost of any losses and damages. However, there are schemes out there to support people who are impacted, including the Flood Re Scheme. This is in place to help residents access affordable flood insurance cover as part of your home insurance. So if you’re worried that your insurance may not pay out, if you’re considered at risk, then there are initiatives that will help.

“Ensuring you have the right cover will help ease the stress flooding can cause, so you’re safe in the knowledge that you should be covered financially.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors