For Jane Smith*, a move into her first property in Yorkshire was a dream come true. This first step onto the housing ladder felt like it would bring security and stability. However, this hope quickly unravelled into a housing issue that will soon hit thousands of properties in Yorkshire and around the country – the issue of flood risk insurance.
Smith told Yorkshire Bylines: “The first problems came up when I had my first mortgage valuation with Leeds Building Society. They said that they wouldn’t mortgage the building due to the high flood risk. I wasn’t aware that there was a flood risk. The local estate agents then squished any worries we had, and I found a new mortgage provider who was happy to mortgage the building, so long as I got flood risk insurance.”
She continued: “It came to the day of exchange, and I rang companies for building insurance covering flood risk. No one would touch the building. I tried numerous companies and even some brokers, but it wasn’t possible, and I had to pull out. It was my first time buying a house and I felt very naive and disappointed. The whole process took months and just wasted my time.”
Owing to the area having changed from low risk to high risk for flooding, Smith’s dream home fell through and she is now looking elsewhere, with the flood risk now a priority in her search.
Increased flooding expected by 2050
Yorkshire Bylines contacted many insurance companies asking them to outline what steps are in place to protect customers from unwittingly buying properties in high risk areas, and also whether flood insurance would still cover customers. One of the few companies that responded was Aviva, which recently published detailed analysis on the rising threat of flooding, as well as proposing action points to help the UK become more climate ready.
A spokesperson for Aviva commented: “Aviva is a member of the Flood Re scheme, which helps homeowners living in high risk flood areas to access flood insurance. Insurance premiums are based on individual circumstances, but we continue to provide insurance to customers in higher risk areas, subject to our usual underwriting criteria.”
Aviva’s report used York as one of the test examples, highlighting that: “While the river poses the greatest threat, York also faces surface water risk. By 2050, there is projected to be a rise in peak rainfall events of up to 15%, with higher temperatures also leaving the ground susceptible to flash floods. Like many historic cities around the UK, drainage was not designed to cope with the climactic conditions of the 21st century. By mid-century, surface water flooding is expected to increase significantly, making sustainable drainage and adaptation in urban areas a growing priority for the council. The number of properties with surface water flood risk in the York Central constituency is projected to rise by 30% by 2050, an additional 2,375 properties.”
Around the Yorkshire region, the number of properties at increased risk of flooding is outlined in constituency data from Aviva. The data suggests that in Skipton and Ripon there could be a shocking 35.1% increase in the number of properties at risk of surface water flooding between 2025 and 2050. Sheffield Central has a 29.2% increased risk of surface water flooding, while Leeds North East came in with a whooping 38.9% increased risk. Huddersfield had an even higher increased risk of 50.4% meaning thousands of homes could be exposed to increased flood risk.
Nationally, Aviva’s findings suggested that: “The number of homes at risk from flooding in England could rise by 25% to 8 million properties.” The report notes: “Currently, 6.3 million properties are at risk in England alone, as well as key infrastructure like transport, utilities and businesses. Climate change means we are experiencing more frequent and severe flooding, rising sea levels, and longer periods of drought that harden soils and reduce their capacity to absorb water.”
How can we mitigate risks?
Jason Storah, CEO UK & Ireland General Insurance, Aviva, said: “In the UK we have seen the impacts of our changing climate and this year is no exception. Record temperatures, wildfires and flash flooding have affected lives across the globe and it is clear that action is needed to adapt to the increasing frequency of these events.
The findings of Aviva’s Building Future Communities report are stark. Rising temperatures and increased urbanisation, coupled with inadequate existing drainage will exacerbate the future risk to potentially millions of properties by 2050.
Storah continued: “Well-known landmarks will not be immune to the threats. A changing climate is already impacting us and, in future, it is likely we will need to learn to live with extreme weather. Adapting our properties and infrastructure is key.”
Avoid building houses in flood plains
One of the suggested proposals from Aviva was to push to strengthen planning rules to prevent unprotected development in current and future flood zones.
Aviva noted that: “Over the last decade, 110,000 new homes were built in the highest risk flood zones, equivalent to 1 in 13 new homes built in total. If this trend were to continue, 115,000 of the Government’s planned 1.5 million new homes would also be in the highest risk flood zones. This is evidence that the existing planning rules must be tightened to prevent unprotected development in these areas.”
Approximately 8% of these new homes would be in the highest risk flood zones, leaving homebuyers like Jane Smith gambling with the biggest purchase a person makes. The other significant issue is that, with this focus on new homes, homeowners who currently live in flood risk areas may not be aware when officials change the status of their area risk from low flood risk to high flood risk. This may impact them when they come to sell, or may increase their insurance premiums.
Concerningly, however, the Environment Agency has fallen behind with its planned flood protection plans for properties, leaving many houseowners without better flood defences. “The Environment Agency is forecasting that it will provide protection for at least 40% fewer properties than planned. When the programme was launched in 2020, the government committed to provide better protection for 336,000 properties by 2027 by investing £5.2bn in new flood defence projects. The programme got off to a slow start and the Agency has now reduced its forecast for the number of properties that will be better protected by the end of the programme to 200,000.”
High cost of flooding
Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) indicate the value of weather-related home claims reached £573mn in 2023. The impact of climate change risks is a factor in driving these increases. “In total, the industry paid out £4.86bn to homeowners and businesses in 2023. More than half of this figure – £2.55bn – was for home insurance claims. This is a near 10% increase on 2022 totals (£2.33bn) and has been driven by weather-related damage.”
The most recent figures are equally alarming. Weather-related damage claims resulted in £606mn of payouts in 2024, and in the first six months of 2025 that figure has already reached £424mn.
Recent polling by the ABI suggests that as many as one in four are unaware of potential storm and flooding risks, and only 27% know that they can find this information on the gov.uk website.
With winter fast approaching, the risk of flooding will be on homeowners’ minds here in Yorkshire, especially if they have experienced losses before. The financial losses, coupled with the uncertainty of where flooded families will live next, add to the emotional loss. Now might be the time to check insurance policies to confirm your level of flood coverage.
*Name changed for privacy
