The United Kingdom’s largest insurer is contending with a sharp increase in subsidence claims following an exceptionally hot summer, as households nationwide confront the escalating effects of the climate crisis.
Aviva announced on Friday that it had seen a significant jump in claims, reflecting a broader industry trend as homeowners file subsidence claims to fund repairs for cracked walls, sloping floors, and misaligned doors and windows.
The increase follows two record-breaking summers in the United Kingdom; this past August ranked as the joint-hottest month ever recorded globally. Prolonged dry periods cause soil beneath properties to contract, destabilizing foundations, while wetter winters cause the ground to expand, compounding structural damage.
Aviva reported a “peak subsidence period” from July through September, with claims extending into October, Chief Executive Amanda Blanc said in a Friday interview with Bloomberg. The company declined to disclose specific figures regarding the volume of the increase.
Blanc advised homeowners to monitor drains, pipes, and gutters closely and repair any leaks that might compromise the soil beneath their properties. “It comes down to managing trees and plumbing,” she said.
Other insurers have reported similar increases. Hastings Direct said it recorded a historic number of subsidence claims in August, a 140% rise from the previous year. Axa, among the UK’s largest home insurers, described the period as a “surge year” for subsidence claims.
Claim values have also reached record levels. The average UK subsidence claim climbed to £20,000 between April and June, over £2,000 higher than a year earlier, according to the Association of British Insurers. Industry payouts for domestic subsidence claims totalled £72 million, up from £60 million during the same period in 2025.
The British Geological Survey warns that millions of homes face subsidence risk as the climate crisis worsens, estimating that up to 11% of UK properties—more than 4.2 million homes—could be exposed by 2070. Older buildings with shallow foundations and properties on clay-heavy soil are most vulnerable, particularly in London, Essex, Kent, and areas around Oxford.
Despite the increase in subsidence claims, Blanc said Aviva remains financially robust, reporting a 19% rise in general insurance premiums to £11.8 billion in the third quarter.
“Aviva is in great shape,” she said in a statement accompanying the company’s financial results. “Our performance has been excellent through the first nine months of 2026, highlighting the advantages of scale across our diversified operations. We continue to deliver strong, profitable growth, particularly in our capital-light general insurance and wealth segments.”
