The property flood resilience action plan

THE PROPERTY FLOOD RESILIENCE ACTION PLANAn action plan to enable better uptake of resilience measures for properties at high flood risk

Dr Peter Bonfield OBE FREngChairmanSeptember 2016

ContentsMinisterial foreword 1Chairman’s overview 3Vision 7Challenge 8The Task Groups 15Actions and recommendations 17Next steps 21

Task Group Reports 22TaskGroup1:Actiontoassistfloodvictims 23TaskGroup2:Embeddingresilienceinsmallbusinesses 25TaskGroup3:Onestopshop 27TaskGroup4:Standards,certificationsandskills 29TaskGroup5:Communicationandbehaviourchange 31

Roundtable contributors 33Annex One: Howfloodresiliencemeasuresareviewedintheinsurancemarket 35Annex Two:Standardsandcertificates,developmentneeds 43

Ministerial forewordMaking properties more resilient to flooding can be hugely beneficial to individuals, families and businesses.Therese CoffeyParliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Life Opportunities

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Thefloodsthispastwinterwerecatastrophic.Weexperiencedthehighestrainfallon-recordoverasingleday,buildingonsustainedrainfalloveranumberofweeks,leadingtothehighestriverflowlevelseverrecorded.Thisresultedinahugeimpactuponpeople,homesandbusinesses,withover17,000propertiesfloodedandthecostofthedamagecausedexpectedtobe£1.3bn.

DuringlastwinterhomeswerefloodedacrossthenorthofEngland,withvillagescut-offfromtheirneighboursandfamiliesforcedtoleavetheirhomesformonths.Roadswereclosedandmorethan100bridgesrequiredinspectionaftertheyweredamagedordestroyedandover170,000peoplehadtheirpowersupplyaffected.Railserviceswerecancelledanddelayed.

TheGovernment’simmediateemergencyresponsewastoprotectlivesand,wherepossible,property.Thankstothededicationofthousandsofpeople,wesawlessdevastationthatwemightotherwisehavedone.Manypeoplewithinmountainrescueteams,thepolice,themilitary,councils,faithgroups,theEnvironmentAgency,andnotleastthecommunitiesthemselves,workedtirelesslytohelpthoseaffected.

SoonafterIwasappointed,IvisitedfloodhitcommunitiesinCumbria.Isawsomeofthepracticalrepairandrecoveryworkthathastakenplaceaswellasthemeasuresbeingtakentobetterprotectcommunitiesaffectedbylastwinter’sflooding.

TheGovernmenthasalreadypaidoutover£250millionaspartofthesupportpackageofupto£5000grantswemadeavailableforeverypropertyflooded,withhomesandbusinessesabletoputinmeasuresthatpreparethemforfuturefloods–bothbystoppingwaterfromenteringapropertyandbymakingadaptationstospeedrecoveryifitdid.

Inaworldwherefutureextremeweathereventsareinevitable,theGovernmentcontinuestohaveakeyroletoplayinimprovingprotectiontothoseatrisk,whichiswhywearespending£2.5bnon1,500newflooddefenceschemestobetterprotect300,000homesby2021.TheGovernmentandtheinsuranceindustryhave

alsorecentlylaunchedFloodRe,anewbodythatensuresaffordablefloodinsuranceforhomeownersatthehighestfloodrisk.

PropertyLevelFloodResilienceschemesarealsoavitalpartofourtoolkit.Makingpropertiesmoreresilienttofloodingcanbehugelybeneficialtoindividuals,familiesandbusinesses.Toooftenpeopleareunawareofwheretogotoforadvice,theproductsthatexistandthebenefitsthattheycanprovide.Theyalsodon’troutinelygetanyincentivefromtheirinsurancepremiumsformakingtheirpropertiesmorefloodresilient.Andwhenthereisthedemand,buildersandsurveyorsarenotwellplacedtomeetit.Thenecessaryskillsremainnicheandthesectorlackswellunderstoodstandardsandcertificationschemes.Weneedtoaddressthesechallengestoensurethatpeoplehavetheinformationandconfidenceneededtomaketheirhomesmoreresilient.

Thatiswhymypredecessor,RoryStewart,askedPeterBonfieldtochairaRoundtabletobringkeybusinessintereststogetherandchallengethemastohowtheymightcontributetobringingaboutsignificantchange.Theenthusiasticcan-doattitudeofthegrouphasresultedinthisActionPlanwhichsetsapathforaddressingthemajorbarrierstopeoplebeingabletobetterpreparetheirhomesandbusinessesforfuturefloods.Italsoofferssomeimmediate,concreteprogress.Ultimately,itwillempowerpeopletoaddresstheimpactthatfloodinghasontheirlivesandlivelihoods.

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Chairman’s overviewIn late 2015 I was asked by Rory Stewart, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs to bring commercial interests together in a Roundtable to consider how collectively we could best enable and encourage the use of property level resilience measures for buildings at risk of being flooded.Dr Peter Bonfield OBE FREng

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Thisisaboutpeopleandfamiliesintheirhomes,businessesandotherorganisations,beingbetterequippedinafloodeventtoreducethechancesoftheirlivesandlivelihoodsbeingdisrupted;bothbystoppingfloodwaterenteringtheirproperties,andspeedingrecoveryifitdoes.

Ourmissionwastoidentifythereasonswhypeopledonotconsistentlypreparetheirpropertiesforflooding,andthendeterminewhatasaRoundtablewecoulddotoaddressthechallenges.Ourworkquicklygainedmomentum,resultinginthisActionPlanwhichsetsoutsometangibleactionsthatwehaveeitherundertakenorplanto.Wehavealsomadesomehighlevelrecommendationsthatsetoutthenatureofthechallengesweface,relevantforbothGovernmentandthebusinessworld.Idohopethatthisaddsavaluablecontributiontotheoveralldebateaswellaspracticallyresultinginmorehomesandbusinessesbeingbetterpreparedforflooding.

ThisActionPlananditsrecommendationsareafittingaccompanimenttothebroaderNationalFloodResilienceReview.Theybothhelpensure

thatthecountryisbetterpreparedforfuturefloodevents,atanationalandindividuallevel.

ContextTheclimateischangingandthishasresultedinextendedperiodsofrainand/orhigherintensitywhichinturnhaveledtoanumberofsignificantfloodeventsoverthelast10years,withmajorincidentsin2007,2009,2012,and2013/14.December2015wasthewettestDecemberonrecord,butalsothewettestcalendarmonthoverallsincerecordsbeganin1910.Morethan17,000propertieswerefloodedoraffected,includingover4000businesses.AslateasSeptember2016,over2000householdershavebeenunabletoreturntotheirhomesand700businessesarestillnotfullyoperational. Akeysolutiontoreducingthecostsofrepairofhomesandbuildingsandtoreducethemiseryanddisruptioncausedbyfloodingtofamiliesandbusinessesistoinstallpropertylevelresilientmeasuresintothebuilding.Thesecanbeinstalledaseitherapreparatory

measure,forpropertiesatriskofflooding,orduringtherepairofbuildingsaftertheyhavebeenflooded.Propertymeasurescanhelppreventfloodwateringressintoabuildingoraidrapidrecoveryandallowhouseholderstosimplywashoutanddisinfectafterflooding,ratherthanrequiringwholesalereplacementofthefabricortheproperty.ThisReportgivesstrikingcasestudiesthatshowhowquicklybuildingshavebecomeoperationalafterfloodingwhenfloodresilientmeasuresareused. Yet,despitetheobviousadvantagesoftheapproach,thetakeupoffloodresilientmeasuresremainslow.Itisnotyetnormalpracticeforpropertiesinareasathighfloodrisktobemademoreresilientfollowingaflood.ThisReporthasmadeanumberofrecommendationsthataimtomaketheinstallationoffloodresilientmeasurespartof‘normal’businesspracticeforthoseinvolvedintherepairofbuildingspostflooding,andalsotohelpthembeproactivelytakenupbyhomeandbuildingownersexposedtofloodrisk.

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A shared vision and commitmentTheserecommendationshavebeenderivedbyacoreteamofprivatesectorrepresentativesfromthecharity,insurance,lossadjusting,businessservices,products,legal,surveyingandfloodrecoveryindustries.ThiscoreteamhasinturnestablishedtaskgroupswithwiderstakeholderengagementtosupportthedevelopmentandimplementationoftherecommendationsofthisActionPlan.WehavebeenassistedbytheDepartmentofEnvironmentFoodandRuralAffairsandtheEnvironmentAgency.

Recommendations and outcomes:TherearesomekeystepsthatIbelievearecentraltoincreasingthelevelofPropertyLevelResilience.Theywillhaverelevanceforbothindustryandgovernment:

• FurtherexplorationofwhetherBuildingRegulationscanbebetterusedtoencouragefloodresistantandresilientconstructioninawaythatistailoredtomeettheneedsofpropertiesinareasatriskofflooding,withafocusonmethodsthatspeedtheirrecoveryfromflooding.

• AprogrammeofworkundertakenbyFloodRetoprovidetheevidencebaseovertime,neededtounderstandhowhouseholdersandinsurerscanbesupportedandpotentiallyincentivisedbyFloodReinthefuturetomanagetheriskoffloodingandreducethecostofclaimsthroughresilienceandothermeasures.

• Rigorousindependentstandardswithpropercertificationprocesses,thatenjoysupportacrosstheindustry,sothatconsumersorhouseholderhaveconfidence

inboththefloodproductstheybuyandtheinstallationofthem.

• Anindependentlyrunon-lineinformationportalanddatawarehousethatproperlyinformshouseholdersandsmallbusinessesaboutwhattodotomaketheirpropertiesresilienttoflooding.Includingclarityonfloodresiliencemeasures,servicesandinformationonapproaches.

• Astrongpartnershipbetweeninsurers,surveyors,thelegalprofession,materialsproducersandthegovernment,toencourageandenablethetakeupoffloodresilientmeasuresandmorefloodresilientbehaviourbyhouseholdersandsmallbusinesses.Includingpreparationforfuturefloodevents.

TheworkpresentedinthisActionPlanhasalreadydeliveredsomepracticaloutcomesacrossthepropertylevelresiliencesector.Notably,anadvicewebportalanddatawarehousehasbeenestablished;andanumberofpartieshaveworkedtogetherinthefieldtosupportthoserecentlyflooded.

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Going forwardGoingforwardtheseoutcomesneedtobefurtherprogressedandconsolidatedifwearetoseerealandlastingchange.ThereisconsiderablewillandintentwithintheRoundtableandfurtherafieldtoharnessthemomentumthathasbeencreatedbythisworkandfurtherpartnershipworkingwillhelpembedthesechanges;thisisthestartratherthanendofajourney.

Dr Peter Bonfield OBE FREng

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VisionTheGovernmentiscommittedtomakingsurethecountryhasthebestpossibleprotectionforourhomesandbusinessestosecureitsstrongeconomicfuture.Itannouncedanextra£700minfundingto2021,inadditiontothe£2.3bncapitalfundingithadalreadycommitted.TheFloodReschemeensuresthatpeopleatfloodriskhaveaccesstoaffordablehomeininsurance.

However,therewillalwaysbesomepropertiesthatareparticularlydifficultoruneconomictoprotectwithlargedefences.PropertyLevelResilience(PLR)hasavaluableroletoplayinmanagingtheirfloodrisk.

TheRoundtableandthisresultingActionPlanseekstobetterequiphouseholdsandbusinessestominimisethephysicalandemotionalimpactoffloodingontheirlives.Itaimstodosobytappingintotheuniqueskills,experiencesandopportunitiesthatthebusinessworldhastooffer.

TheRoundtablewouldliketosee:

After a year -abetternationalunderstandingofwhatpropertylevelresilienceis,amongstindividuals,communitiesandbusinesses

After 2 years –significantprogresstowardsdevelopingthesystemsandpracticeswithintheinsurance,buildingandfinancesectorsthatnormalisetheuptakeofpropertylevelresiliencewithinexistingactivity

After 3 to 5 years –asituationwherethoseathighfloodriskhavetheknowledge,capabilityandmeanstoadapttheirpropertiesinwaysthatlimitthephysicaldamageoffloodingonhomesandbusinesses,andspeeduptheirrecovery

After 5 years–anenvironmentwhereitisstandardpracticeforpropertiesathighfloodrisktobemaderesilient

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Challenge• Floodingisthemostcommonand

widespreadnaturalsourceofdamagetopropertiesintheUK.

• Therewillalwaysbesomepropertiesthatareparticularlydifficultoruneconomictoprotectwithlargedefences.PropertyLevelResilience(PLR)hasavaluableroletoplayinmanagingtheirfloodrisk.

• PLRcanstopwaterenteringapropertyorsignificantlyreducethetimeoutofyourhomeorbusinesswhenitdoes.Takingpositivestepsalsoreducesthestressoffeelingvulnerable.

• Thetypicalrangeofmeasureshaveacost-benefitratioinexcessof£5forevery£1investedintermsofreduceddamages.

• However,thereisstillrelativelylowuptakeinEngland–peopleathighfloodriskaren’troutinelyinstallingresiliencemeasuresintheirhomesandbusinesses.

What do we mean by Property Level Resilience? PropertyLevelResilience(PLR)aimstomake people and their property less vulnerable to the physical and mental impacts of flooding.

Actionsthatcanbetakenincludeinstallingflooddoors,floodbarriers,airbrickcovers,pointingorwaterproofingbrickwork,installingnon-returnvalves,andmovingvulnerablefeaturessuchassocketsabovefloorlevel.

Propertiesneedapackageofmeasures,someofwhichpreventwaterenteringahouseandothersthatminimisetheimpactshouldwaterenterthehouse,speedinguptherecoveryprocess.

Sometimesthewatershouldbeletin.Forfloodsover60cmdepth,orofprolongedduration,attemptingtokeepthewateroutcancauseseriousstructuraldamage,owingtotheunequalwaterpressureseithersideofthewalls.

Reasons for the lack of uptake vary. Property owners may:• notknowtheyareatriskbecausethe

propertyhasnotfloodedrecently

• notaccepttheyareatriskbecausetheyhavenotpersonallyexperiencedafloodevent

• considerafloodeventtheyhavejustexperiencedasa‘oneoff’

• taketheviewthat‘onlytheauthorities’canmanagefloodriskandthereisnothingtheycandoand/orshoulddo,toimprovetheirresilience.

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Flood Resilient Property East Peckham

CASESTUDY

1“It was the best flood I’ve ever had! Everything was working, we didn’t aim to make it perfectly dry...our aim was to keep the water to one or two inches...It’s all about slowing the water...it gives us time to get the bricks, move the furniture, move the car.”Sue Chalkley, East Peckham - BBC News February 2014

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The village of East Peckham was flooded twice in two days over Christmas 2013. Inoneproperty,fittedwithfloodgatesandfloodboardstheingressofwaterwasslowedenoughtoallowfurnituretoberaisedonbricksbeforeitgotintothehouse.

Waterthatenteredthehousewassweptintoasubmersiblepumpinthelivingroom.

Agullyinsidethehousetookwaterfromadrainnearthefrontdoorstraighttothepump,andfromthereitwaspumpedoutside.

Suesaid‘Ononeoccasionwewereintempaccommodationforninemonthsandonanotheroccasionwelivedonthefirstfloorandintheloftforninemonths.In2013wehadmajordisruptionforonedaybutthenextday,Christmasday,wehadChristmasdinnerasusualandmadenoinsuranceclaim.Weinformedtheinsurancecompanyandtheymonitoredthedryingoutprocess–butwemadenoclaim.Therewasonlydecorationdamagewhichwedealtwith’.

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TheRoundtablewasestablishedbyMinisterRoryStewarttotacklethelowuptakeofmeasuresthatcanmakeapropertymoreresilienttoflooding.Hechallengedbusinessestobringtheiruniqueskillsandexperiencetothetabletohelpbringaboutchange.

PeterBonfield,CEOofBRE(formallytheBuildingResearchEstablishment),wasaskedtochairtheRoundtable.Heinvitedarangeofexpertstojoinhimwhowerewellplacedtousetheirskillsandexperiencetoinnovateandfindwaystoincentivisetheuptakeofpropertyfloodresiliencebyconsumers.TheRoundtablewassupportedbyofficialsfromtheDepartmentforEnvironment,FoodandRuralAffairs(Defra)whoprovidedthesecretariatandtheEnvironmentAgency.

TheRoundtablewastaskedwithconsideringspecificbarriersidentifiedasbeingkeytopreventingtheuptakeofresiliencemeasuresandtofindsolutionstoaddressthem.Memberstookaproactiveandcollaborativeapproach.VolunteersledandestablishedfivecomplimentaryTaskGroupsthatfocusedonthoseareasthattheRoundtablefelthadmostscopetobringaboutrealchange.Their

objectiveswereto:

• IncreaseuptakeofthepropertylevelresiliencegrantfollowingStormsDesmondandEva,andtolearnfromthisexperience;

• Betterembedresilienceintheinsurancebusinessandinday-to-dayforSmallandMediumEnterprises(SMEs)atfloodrisk;

• Improvethesharingofinformationonresiliencemeasures,specificallythroughdevelopingaone-stopshopwebportal;

• Developtheskillsandstandardsnecessarytodeliverpropertylevelresilientmeasurestoaconsistentlyhighandwellunderstoodstandard;

• Addressthecommunicationsandbehaviouralchallengesthathamperuptakeofpropertylevelresiliencemeasures.

TheTaskGroupsdevelopedactionplansandrecommendationsfortheRoundtable,makinguseofwiderexpertise.ThesehaveformedthebasesfortheTaskGroupreportsandtheendofthisdocument.

Approach

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“If the building floods now we can forklift stuff onto the mezzanine level”Peter

Retail business flooded in 2007ThiscasestudywasdevelopedbytheSesameResearchProjecthttp://floodresilientbusiness.co.uk

CASESTUDY

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A new mezzanine level and the strengthened and raised floor.

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“Icouldn’tbelievewhatwashappening.We’dhadbitsofwatercomeinbefore,butitwouldbeveryshallowandjustlappingatthecarpark.Whenthe2007floodscameitwasacompletelydifferentstory.Itwashorrendousgoinginandseeingthedevastation–andIfeltallonmyownwithit.

Butwhenthebuildingwasbeingre-madeweputalltheelectricshighupinthewallsandallmachineswerere-donewithoverheadpowersothesocketswouldn’tgetflooded. Also,ifthebuildingfloodsnowwecanforkliftstuffontothemezzaninelevel(whichwealsoputinwhenwerefurbished).Wealsoraisedthefloorlevelandstrengthenedthefloor.

Wehaven’tusedfloodbarriersasIfeelthatinourlocationtheywouldn’tworkaswearesoclosetothebrookandriver,butwehavemadethesechangestothebuildingandthathasworkedoutreallywell.

Wehavebeenfloodedsince:oneatChristmasandoneattheendofJanuary.TheChristmasonecameintothebuilding5-6inchesabovethefloorbutwe’dtakentheprecautionofputtingpalletsunderthemachinery.Itwasgoodthatwehadchangedthepremisesincertainwaysinthe6monthswewereclosed.”

Mess from the flood in 2007

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The task groupsTask group 1 - Immediate action

• Thegroupconsideredbarrierstoaccessingfundingfortheinstallationofresiliencemeasures

• Establishedapilotadvisoryserviceforfloodvictimsandlocalauthorities

• Lookedtoidentifysolutionsandconsideredtheneedfortechnicalassistance

Task group 2 - Embedding resilience

• Thegroupconsideredbarrierstotheprovisionofresiliencemeasuresviainsurersandothers

• LookedathowtoencourageSMEstobuildresilienceintotheirbusinessandmarketingplans

• Consideredtheimpactofmeasuresoninsurancepremiums

Task group 3 - One stop shop

• Thegroupconsideredhowthesharingofinformationonresiliencemeasurescanbeimproved

• LookedatinformationforprivatehouseholdsandSMEsandtheprovisionofinformationtobusiness

• Developedanindependentwebsitetodistilinformation

Task group 4 - Standards, certification and skills

• Thegroupconsideredthelackofconsistentstandards

• Coveredstandardsforproductsandcertificationrelatedtoproperty(newbuild,existingpropertyandmaterials)

• Lookedatskillneedsinprofessionals(suchassurveyors,contractorsandbuilders)

Task group 5 - Communications and behaviour change

• Thegroupconsideredtheroleofcommunicationsindrivingbehaviourchange

• Lookedathowtoengageandempowerindividuals/communitiestomaketheirpropertiesmoreresilient

• Builtonexperienceoftheresilientgrandfromthiswinter

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Flood resilient kitchenFloodresilientkitchen:gooddesigncancreateattractivekitchensandincorporatefloodresilientfeatures.Thesecanincluderaisingappliancesabovelikelyfloodlevels,useofappropriatematerialsforcabinetsandresilientfloortiles.

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Actions & recommendationsWe have made recommendations on what needs to happen to see a step-change in uptake of property level resilience measures. We are also committed to delivering a number of actions to address these challenges.

The recommendations summarised on the right have been informed by the Task Group’s reports, which are set out in more detail in the next section.

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Strengthening understanding of what measures are best to adoptRecommendations: Moreneedstobedonetoaddressthesignificantconfusionthatremainsaboutwhatpropertylevelresilienceactuallyis.Weneedgreaterclarityonwhichmeasuresaremosteffective,recognisingthateverypropertyisdifferent.

Thosepromotingtheapproachneedtobeclearwhothetargetaudiencesareanddesignsimplemessagestoreachthem.Theymustconsiderthe‘PLRcustomerjourney’andthechannels/touchpointsthroughwhichwecanreachthem.

Actions• Developingandpromotinganindependentweb-portalthatprovides

aone-stopshopforinformationonpropertylevelresilience.Aimedatarangeofaudiences,includinghouseholders,communities,smallbusinessesaswellasthosebusinessesandlocalauthoritiesthathavearoleindeliveringfloodresiliencemeasures.Toincludesimpleinfographicsthatinformpeopleofthebenefitsofinstallingresiliencemeasuresandstep-by-stepguidanceonpropertylevelresiliencemeasures(TaskGroupThree).

• Establishingagroupofindustryandappropriateinterestedpartiestodeterminearoute-mapforasetoffloodresiliencestandardsforbuildingmaterials,servicesandproductsthatareusedasstandard(TaskGroupFour).

• Developinganapproachtocertificationofbuildingmaterials,componentsandproducts(TaskGroupFour).

• ExploringtheroleofresilientrepairinbuildingregulationsinEngland(TaskGroupFour).

• BuildingbetterPLRmessagingintothenationalfloodriskcampaigninNovember2016(TaskGroupFive).

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Improving the skill sets of those involved in making properties more resilientRecommendation: Weneedappropriatetrainingprogrammesforthosewhohavearoleinpromotinganddeliveringresilientrepair.Surveyorsrequireparticularattention,alongwithinstallersofresilientmeasures.

Actions• Researchingthepotentialforcertificationofresilientrepair

techniques(TaskGroupFour).

• Betterunderstandingofcommonprinciplesoffloodresilienceforinstallersoffloodresistanceandresiliencemeasurestoensureconsistencyofapproachandapplicationofstandards(TaskGroupFour).

• Creationofacertificationschemeforfloodsurveyorslinkedtocontinuingprofessionaldevelopmenttrainingforrelevantspecialists(TaskGroupFour).

Normalising property level protection in the commercial worldRecommendation: Thereisaneedforgreaterawarenessacrossthecommercialsector–bothforthosewhowoulddirectlybenefitfrominstallingPLRmeasures(e.g.businessowners,landlords)andthosewhodriveconsumerinterest(lenders,insurersandlossadjusters).Evidencewillbekeytoacceptance.

Actions• Establishingaworkingpartyofinsurersandbrokerstoexplorethe

roletheseparticularindustriescanhaveinactingasacatalysttopromoteengagementbytheircustomers(whetherownersortenantsofcommercialorresidentialproperty)onfloodriskawarenessandpreparedness(TaskGroupTwo).

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• Developinga‘healthcheck’forsmallbusinesseswhichwillassesswhetheradequateinsurancecoverisinplace,promotebenefitsoffloodresilientmeasuresanddeterminetheoverallcostbenefittothebusiness(TaskGroupTwo).

• Developingagroupofcasestudiestodemonstratethebenefitsoffloodresilienceforsmallbusinesses,ensuringrelevanceforhouseholders(TaskGroupTwo).

• Workingwithlenders(banksandmortgageproviders)toincreasetheirunderstandingofthebenefitstothemselvesandtheirroleasacatalyst(TaskGroupTwo).

Action following a flood eventRecommendation: WeshouldalllearnlessonsfromthisandpreviousoccasionswherePLRhasbeenusedwithoutcapacitybuildingimmediatelyfollowingafloodevent.TheTaskGroupwillbefeedinginthelessonsitislearningfromthepilotsitisrunninginthreelocalauthorityareasintotheGovernment’sownreviewoffloodrecoveryschemesusedlastwinter.

Actions • Providinganadvisoryservicetosupporthouseholdsandlocal

authoritiestoeffectivelyusethe£5,000resiliencegrantarisingfromStormsDesmondandEva.AtrailerandadvisorswerelocatedatKendal,CockermouthandLancaster(TaskGroupOne).

• WorkingalongsidetheEnvironmentAgencytoprepareforfuturefloodevents(TaskGroupFive).

• FeedingintotheGovernment’sreviewoflastwinter’sfloodrecoveryschemestoshareexperienceofworkingwithlocalauthoritiestohelpfloodvictimsmaketheirpropertiesmoreresilient(TaskGroupOne).

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Next stepsThoseinvolvedintheRoundtablehavecommittedtocontinuingtotakeforwardworktoimprovetheuptakeofresiliencemeasures.

• TheTaskGroupswillnowlooktodelivertheactionstheyhavecommittedtointhisreport.

• MembersoftheRoundtablewillactivelypromotetherecommendationsofthisreportandsharelearningwithotheractors/sectorswithaninterestinimprovingtheuptakeoffloodresilience.

• TheRoundtablewillgathertowardstheendof2016toreportonprogressandconsiderhowelsetheymighthelptoaddressthechallengesidentified.

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Task group reports

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Action to assist flood victims

TASK GROUP

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ContextBusinessintheCommunity’sBusinessEmergencyResilienceGroup(BERG)setouttopilotanadvisoryserviceinthreeofthe48localauthorityareasaffectedbywinterflooding.Theinterventionwasledbyoneoftheirmembercompanies,AdlerandAllan.ThefirstpilotwassetupinKendal,Cumbria,withafurthertwoadvisoryservices(ledbybusinessbutinassociationwithlocalgovernmentandthenot-for-profitsector)inCockermouthandLancaster.BERGmadearrangementswitheachlocalauthoritytooperateintheirarea. Thepilotservicesareliaisingwitheachlocalauthority,tohelpidentifyandremoveobstaclesandraiseawarenessandincreaseapplicationsforthePropertyLevelResilienceGrants.Inaddition,thepilotwilllooktotestwhetherlinkingwith

insurers,contractorsandotherswouldimprovetheuptakeofresiliencemeasures. Thepilotofferssurveyservicestoresidents,inadditiontothoseavailablefromthelocalauthorityand/orlocalsurveyors. Attheendofthepilot,BERGwillcreatealessonslearnedreportbasedonourexperiencestoassisttheworkoftheGovernmentreviewandwithotherlocalauthoritiesaffectedbythewinterstorms. BERGsetupthepilotsinKendal,CockermouthandLancasterwiththeaimto:

• Improvedeliveryoptionsofpropertylevelresiliencegrants.

• Identifycosteffectivewaystodelivertheinstallationofresiliencemeasuresandtoidentifyandremovepossiblebarriers.

Group members and contributorsGraham Brogden HeadofTechnicalPropertyClaims,AvivaMark Calvert ChiefExecutive,Adler&AllanMike Still BusinessEmergencyResilienceGroupandMarshJoseph Tabone BusinessEmergencyResilienceGroup(BERG),BusinessintheCommunity(BITC)

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Group Leads: Mark Calvert(ChiefExecutive,Adler&Allan)andJoseph Tabone(BusinessEmergencyResilienceGroup(BERG),BusinessintheCommunity(BITC)

• Identifypracticalassistanceandtechnicaladvicetosupplementlocalexpertiseinareasaffectedbythefloods.

• Deliveradvicedirectlytotheaffectedcommunitiesincollaborationwithlocalbusinessesandthelocalauthority.

• Promotetheschemeandincreaseuptakeofthegrant.

PLRreducesthelevelofdamagefromfloodingratherthanthelikelihoodthattherewillbefloodevents.Managingpublicexpectationsaboutthebenefitsofwhattheyinstallandtherequirementsthatitplacesonthem,isanimportantwhenanyactivitytopromotetheuptakeofsuchmeasuresisundertaken.

RecommendationsTheschemesineachlocalauthorityareaarestillopenwhichmakesittooearlytodrawfirmconclusionsontheimpactoftheactionswehavetakentoimprovethegrantapplicationprocess.Theultimateaimofthepilotis,however,toimprovethenumberoffloodaffectedpropertiesthatreceiveresilient/resistantrepairssothatthefuturefloodriskisreducedandrecoverytimesdecreased.

Action PlanTheTaskGroupunderstandstheGovernmentiscarryingoutitsownreviewoffloodrecoveryschemesusedlastwinter.Itwillthereforelooktofeedinfindingsfromthepilot.ThefindingswillalsocontributetothewiderbodyofevidencearoundPLRanddeliveryofschemesbyriskmanagementauthoritiesthroughothergrantschemesstructures.

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Context Forbusinessesfloodingnotonlyaffectsthebuildingbutitcanaffectitsabilitytotrade,andthewidercommunity.Smallbusinessesareparticularlyvulnerableandmakeupasignificantproportionofthecountry’sbusinesses.Mostbusinessesrecognisethepotentialdamagethatsevereweathercando,atleastintheory.However,itisclearthatmanydonotfeelempoweredormotivatedtocarryoutsignificantinvestmentinthisarea:oftenduetofinancialorpracticalconstraints,lackoftrustedinformationandservicesoreventhroughoverconfidenceintheirabilitytomanageafloodevent. Thecommercialworldcanplayavaluableroleinhelpingtoimprovesmallbusinesses’resiliencetoflooding,throughtheinsurance,lossadjusting,propertyandfinancialindustries.Thereisaneed

tobetterrecogniseandrewardtheincreasedresilienceandreductioninrisk,thuscreatinggreaterawarenessandamarketforpropertylevelresilience.

Manyofthebenefitswouldapplytothehouseholdmarkettoo,whichwouldcomplementtheeffortsofFloodRetohelphouseholdersathighrisktransitiontorisk-reflectivepricesby2039.

InMay2016,theBritishInsuranceBrokers’Association(BIBA)undertookasurveyofitsmemberstounderstandmoreoftheroleoffloodresilience,resistanceandproperty-levelprotectionforsmallbusinessesinFloodRiskareas.Thissoughttoevaluateitscurrenteffectonpremiums,deductibles(suchasexcesses),andtheavailabilityofcover.Thesurvey(seeAnnexOne)hasidentifiedbrokerinterestinfloodresilience.Thiswillinformhowwetakeforwardworkwithactorsinthissector.

Embedding resilience in small businesses

TASK GROUP

2Group members and contributors: Andrew Creedon FloodReJonathan Davison BritishDamageManagement Association Ian Gibbs CunninghamLindseyMark Halliday SharkeyGroupSue Highmore ThomsonReutersLegalDavid Hughes AXAInsuranceAndy Poole FederationofSmall Businesses(FSB)

Paul Redington ZurichInsuranceTim Smith FloodReJoey Tabone BusinessEmergency Resilience Group(BERG),Businessinthe Community(BITC)Graeme Trudgill BritishInsuranceBroker Association(BIBA) Andrew Walkley QBE

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Group Lead: Graham Brogden (Aviva)

RecommendationsTheTaskGrouplookedatwaysinwhichtoreachouttoallbusinessestoraiseawarenessofwhatresilienceisandtodemonstratethebenefitandimportanceoftakingsuchmeasures.Itconcludedthatthereisaneedto:

• Explorenewopportunitiestoraiseawarenessamongstbrokersinthecommercialsector

• Provideevidencedirectlytobusinessesaboutthebenefitsofmakingtheirpropertyresilienttoflooding

• Workacrosstheinsuranceindustrytounderstandandencouragethedevelopmentofproductsandsolutionsthatsupportbusinessesatriskofflooding

• Engagekeysmallbusinesses(forexample,landlordsandbusinessowners)whohavedifferentobjectivesandperspectivesonthisissueaboutthevalueandbenefitsofresiliencemeasurestothem.

Action PlanRaisingawareness,particularlyacrossthesmallbusinessspacewilltaketimeandthequestionsthatitwillpromptfrombusinessownerswillneedtobeaddressed,includingthoseaffectingtheinsuranceindustry.Thegrouphascommittedto:

• Establish a working partyofinsurersandbrokerstoexplorehowunderwritersandbrokersareassessingtheimpactofdifferenttypesoffloodresiliencemeasuresonSMEs.Itwillconsiderhowthismightinfluencethedecisionsthatsmallbusinessestaketoinvestincertainareas;thedirectfinancialbenefitsofsuchmeasures;howtoimproveinsuranceunderwriters’andbrokers’understandingofthereducedriskexposure;andtoimprovetheavailabilityofacompetitivequotesthatincentivisesmallbusinessestotakeaction.

• Expertise and Purchase power:compilea‘healthcheck’forsmallbusinesses.Thiswillcheckwhetheradequateinsurancecoverisinplace,assessbenefitsofflood

resilientmeasuresanddeterminetheoverallcostbenefittothebusiness.WewillthenexploreifinsurerscouldusetheirpurchasingpowertoleveragedealsonappropriatefloodresilientproductsforSMEs.

• Building trust: developcasestudiestodemonstratethebenefitsoffloodresiliencemeasures,takingaccountofthedemographicofthesmallbusinessmarkettoensurethattheexamplesarerelevant.

• Property ownership:workwithlenderstoincreasetheirunderstandingofthebenefitstothemselvesandtheirroleasacatalysttoencouragetheuptakeofresiliencemeasuresandpromoteengagementbytheirborrowers(whetherownersortenantsofcommercialorresidentialproperty)onfloodriskawarenessandpreparedness.Inthesecircumstances,lenderscouldintegratethecostofestablishingtheleveloffloodriskintotheircharges.

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One stop shop

TASK GROUP

3

Context ThesitewasconceivedasanactionbytheRoundtablewiththemainaimtocreatea“onestopshop”websiteprovidingfloodguidance,suitableforanyaudiencewhomayhavebeenaffectedbyrecentfloodeventsandadviceforpreparationmeasuresinthefuture.

Thisportalwillprovidestep-by-stepguidanceofwhattodointheeventofafloodandinformationofwhotocontactfollowingafloodtoensuredamagedoesnothappeninthefuture.Thecontentforthesitewillneedtoberegularlyupdatedandincorporateadditionalappropriateguidanceinformationandadviceasitbecomesavailable.

Withtheappropriatepromotionthroughalternativewebsites,searchengineoptimisation,andthrough

theuseofsocialmedia,theCentreforResilienceFloodGuidancePortalcandeliverappropriateassistancetoalltargetaudiencesacrosstheUnitedKingdom.

Themainaimsofthewebsiteare:

• Tomakepropertyownersawareoftherisksofflooding,howtoassesswhetherapropertyisatriskandtheprocedurestofollowifafloodeventoccurs.

• Toprovideanaccessportalofindependentadviceofwhotocontactregardingdamagerepairoftheproperty.

• Toincorporateinformationonthebeststrategytopreventsimilarfloodingeventsfromoccurringinthefuture.

Group members and contributors: Matt Barker BREMartin Friel AXAInsuranceStephen Garvin BRESue Highmore ThomsonReutersAndrew Poole FederationofSmallBusinessesSophie Timms ZurichInsuranceSam Turner BRE

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Group Leads: Sam Turner and Matthew Barker (BRE)

Recommendations • Developproceduresandgovernance

structurestoensuretheimpartialityofthewebsite.

• Formindependentchairgrouptotakeresponsibilityforreviewanddevelopmentoftheportal.

• Developfastandsimpledisseminationfromwebsitehomepagefordifferenttargetaudiencesaswellasforthosethathavebeenfloodedandthoseatriskofflooding.

Action Plan• Improvenavigationroutesforwebsiteusers.

• Involveagreaterrangeofindependentcompaniestoprovidealargerpoolofbackgroundknowledge.

• Targetmultipleaudiencesusingspecificinformationforpropertyownersthat:

• havepreviouslybeenflooded • arelookingtoprotecttheirproperty againstfuturefloodevents.

• Generatesimpleinfographicsthatguidethereaderwhattodointhecaseofafloodevent.

• Createguidancewebpagesgivingdetailedstep-by-stepguidanceonwhattodobefore,duringandafteraflood;andpropertylevelresiliencemeasures.Incorporationofvideolinksandinfographicswithcasestudyinformation.

• Ensuresuccessfulpromotionofwebsitethroughsearchengineoptimisation,sositebecomesoneoffirstlinkstobeaccessed.

• Developstrategytomoderatethecontent

fromadditionalsourcesaimingtocontributetothewebsite.

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Standards, certifications and skills

TASK GROUP

4

Context Appropriatestandards,certificationschemesandskillsareneededinthepropertyresilienceindustrytoprovidereassurancethatworkhasbeendonecorrectlyandtohighstandards.ThecolourcodedtableatAnnexTwoshowscurrentdevelopmentneedsforallthreeareas.

Recommendations• Developappropriatetrainingprogrammesfor

surveyorsandinstallersoffloodresistanceandresilienceinproperty.

• Developtrainingforinsurersandlossadjustersonresilientrepair,technologiesandworkingwithclientstoachieveappropriatesolutions.

• Developtheapproachtocertificationofbuildingmaterials,componentsandproducts.

Group members and contributors: Kevin Blunden CABEPeter Caplehorn ConcreteProductsAssociationAlan Cripps RoyalInstituteofChartered SurveyorsDamian Cross AVIVANeil Curling HBOS/HalifaxRob Dakin AXA Martyn Foulds HBOS/HalifaxStephen Garvin BREPeter Kershaw Zurich

Chris Longley FederationofSmall BusinessesIan Marsh SagaMark Shepherd AssociationofBritishInsurersJoey Tabone BusinessEmergency ResilienceGroup(BERG), BusinessintheCommunity (BITC)Elaine Toogood ConcreteCentreGraeme Trudgill BritishInsuranceBroker Association(BIBA)Oliver Wright Zurich

29

Group Lead: Stephen Garvin (BRE)

• Promoteuseofexistingstandards,inparticular,ensuringthatPAS1188productsarereferencedinprocurementdocumentsandthatBS85500isadoptedbyhousebuildersandcommercialbuildersinareasatriskofflooding.

Action PlanWewillidentifyachampiontoleadontakingforwardeachareaofrecommendations.Inparticular:

On training• Createaroute-maptothecreationofa

certificationschemeforfloodsurveyorslinkedtostandardsandappropriatecontinuingprofessionaldevelopmenttrainingforrelevantspecialists.

• TheschemeshouldbebaseduponworkcarriedoutforDefra;“SurveyingforFloodResilienceattheLevelofanIndividualProperty”(FD2681ontheRanddresearchwebsite)andinformedbyreviewoforganisationssuchasNAPIT,GasSafetyand

FENSA-whoapproveelementsofBuildingRegulations.

• Bringtogetherinitiatives(e.g.thenewBSiKitemarkschemeforinstallationofmeasuresmeetingPAS1188)forinstallersoffloodresistanceandresiliencemeasurestoensureconsistencyofapproachandapplicationofstandards.

On certification • Establishagroupofindustryandappropriate

stakeholderstodeterminearoute-mapforasetoffloodresiliencestandards(orstandardsapproach)forbuildingmaterialsandproducts.Thisshouldconsiderwhetheraspecificstandardandcertifiedapproachforassessmentofalltypesofproductsispossible,orcertificationshouldbeincorporatedappropriatelyincurrentproductstandardsandcertification.

• Researchthepotentialforcertificationofresilientrepairtechniques.Forpostfloodinsurancerelatedrepairs,developaprotocolforgreatercooperationbetween‘localauthoritybuildingcontrol’andinsurance

companiesonpostfloodrepairs.Developaprotocoltosimplifytheapprovaloffloodresilientmeasuresinproperty.

On building regulations• ExplorewhetherBuildingRegulationcan

beusedtoencouragefloodresistantandresilientconstructioninawaythatistailoredtomeettheneedsofpropertiesinareasatriskofflooding;withafocusonmethodsthatspeedtheirrecovery.

• Floodresilientmaterialsandproductstobesupportedbyafitnessforpurposeassessmentthatestablishestheirvalueinmakingpropertymoreresilient.

• ReviewthecurrentapproachtoRadonStandards,toestablishiftherearelessonsthatcouldbeappliedtothisareaofwork.

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Communication and behaviour change

TASK GROUP

5

Context Ourfocuswasontheenablersthatencouragepeopletotakeuppropertylevelresilienceandthenextstepsintermsofcommunicationandbehaviourchangethatwouldimprovetheuptakeofpropertylevelresilience.

Therangeofissuesthatemergedinclude

• Recovery–thereisadisconnectbetweeninsurancereinstatementandresilientrepairofproperty:lossadjustorsandbuildersdonotunderstandthebenefitsofresilientmeasures.Inaddition,itisunlikelythat,immediately

afterafloodevent,peopleareinapositiontothinkabouttheinstallationofsuchmeasures–peoplewanttobebackinthepropertieswiththeminimumdisruption/difficulty.

• Insurancebuy-in–itisnotclearthattheinsuranceindustryvaluepropertylevelresilienceorincentivisingpeopletohaveit.Itseffectivenessisalsoquestionedbyfloodvictimsandthebuilding/insuranceindustry.

• Communityunderstanding–fundingschemesarehardertodevelopinlesscohesivecommunities.Iffloodresiliencewasa‘socialnorm’itismorelikelytobewidelyadopted.‘Doesmyneighbourhaveit?’

Group members and contributors: Alison Baptiste EnvironmentAgencyKevin Barnes EnvironmentAgencyMark Calvert AdlerandAllanPaul Cobbing NationalFloodForumJacqui Cotton EnvironmentAgencyStephen Garvin BRE

Emma Howard-Boyd EnvironmentAgencyAbi Howells EnvironmentAgencyTony Johnson DCLGAmanda Mackenzie AvivaJane Meek CarlisleCityCouncilCraig Woolhouse EnvironmentAgency

31

Group Lead: Emma Howard-Boyd (EnvironmentAgency)

Recommendations• Thosepromotingtheapproachneedto

beclearwhothetargetaudiencesareanddesignsimplemessagesthatlinkclearlytodesiredaction.

• Weneedtobetterunderstandthe‘PLRcustomerjourney’andthechannels/touchpointsatwhichwecanreachourtargetaudiences.

• Weshoulduseamixofmicroandmassmarketingtoreachandengage.

• Thereisaneedtoconsidertiming–whenisthebesttimetoapproachacommunityorindividualtodiscussPLRoptions?

Action PlanThesearecurrentlybeingdevelopedintoamoredetailedactionplanbytheEnvironmentAgency:

• BuildbetterPLRmessagingintothenationalfloodriskcampaigninNovember2016.Draftsimplekeymessagesandcallstoactionbylearningfromothersuccessfulcampaignslike‘lovefood,hatewaste’,theUN’sGlobalGoalsandtheBusinessEmergencyResilienceGroup’s’10minuteplan’.

• TheNationalFloodForumandtheBusinessEmergencyResilienceGroupshouldprepareaguidancenotetohelpEnvironmentAgencystaffworkmoreeffectivelywithvoluntarygroupsandmakebetteruseoftheircapabilities.

• TheEnvironmentAgencywillalsoworkwiththeRoundtableinitsplanned‘winterready’exercise.

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Roundtable contributors

33

ABI MarkShepherd LauraHughes

Adler and Allan MarkCalvert

Aviva GrahamBrogden AmandaMackenzie DamianCross

AXA RobDakin DavidHughes MartinFriel

Business Emergency JoeyTaboneResilience Group (BERG)

British Insurance Brokers GraemeTrudgillAssociation (BIBA)

British Damage Management JonathanDavisonAssociation (BDMA)

BRE/Centre for Resilience StevenGarvin MattBarker SamTurner PeterBonfield JeremyWatson

Carlisle City Council JaneMeek

Chartered Association of Building JohnHooperEngineers KevinBlunden

Construction Products Association PeterCaplehorn

Coop JonathanGuy

Cunningham Lindsey RoyShevlin IanGibbs

DCLG SallyHaslam PaulPhilpott TonyJohnson NickPrice

DEFRA RobbieCraig AnnaSargeant MatthewWhittles

Environment Agency EmmaHoward-Boyd AlisonBaptiste CraigWoolhouse CarolineDouglas AbigailHowells CathBrooks KevinBarnes JacquiCotton

34

Federation of Small AndrewPoole Businesses AllanCreedy ChrisLongley Flood Re BrendanMcCafferty TimSmith AndrewCreedon

HBOS/Halifax MartynFoulds NeilCurling Law Society DianeLatter Marsh Insurance MikeStill MPA - The Concrete Centre & ElaineToogoodBritish Precast AndrewMinson National Association of MarkHaywardEstate Agents National Flood Forum PaulCobbing

National Housing Federation RachelFisher Nationwide Building Society ChrisBose Practical Law SueHighmoreQBE AndrewWalkley TimHayward Royal Institute of AlanCripps Chartered Surveyors

SAGA IanMarsh Sharkey Group MarkHalliday Zurich Insurance Company Ltd PeterKershaw PaulRedington OliverWright DavidNash SophieTimms JohnParvin

About BIBATheBritishInsuranceBrokers’Association(BIBA)istheUK’sleadinggeneralinsuranceintermediaryorganisationrepresentingtheinterestsofinsurancebrokers,intermediariesandtheircustomers.

BIBAmembershipincludesnearly2,000regulatedfirms,whoemploymorethan100,000staff.Generalinsurancebrokerscontribute1%ofGDPtotheUKeconomy,theyarrange54%ofallgeneralinsuranceand78%ofallcommercialinsurancebusiness.

The researchOn17May2016,theBritishInsuranceBrokers’Association(BIBA)undertookasurveyofitsmemberstounderstandmoreoftheroleoffloodresilience,resistanceandproperty-levelprotectionforsmallbusinessesinFloodRiskareas.Thissoughttoevaluateitscurrenteffectonpremiums,deductibles,suchasexcess,andtheavailabilityofcover.IttargetedthosebrokerswhohadengagedpreviouslywithBIBAonfloodinsurance-relatedissues.

Intotal,90firmsrespondedtothesurveygivingtheirviewsviaacombinationofmultiplechoiceaswellasfree-textanswers.

Communication with small business clientsTheresultsshowedthatwherebrokerscommunicatewithsmallbusinessclientsaboutfloodresilience,themostcommonwayofdoingthiswasviaface-to-faceconversations(51%).Thenextmostpopularmethodwasviatelephone.Theresultsfordifferentformsofwrittencommunications(email/website/newsletter)werenegligible[Figure1].

Intermsofthetimingoftheseconversations,theyweremostlikelytooccuratrenewal(54%)oratthenewbusinessstage(21%)[Figure2].

Annex 1: How flood resilience measures are viewedin the insurance market

35

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

BrokerWebsite

Face-to-facewith SME

Telephone

Speaking at acustomer event

Dedicated document

Broker to customer

Nocommunication

Other (pleasespecify)

Figure 1: What is the most common method of communication with your SME clients about flood resilience?

At new business

At renewal

At the time of a claim

Mid-term

We don’t communicate

Other (pleasespecify)

Figure 2: How would you most likely communicate with your customer about flood resilience/assistance?

36

Effectiveness of resilience/resistance measureWeaskedinsurancebrokerstorankhoweffectivedifferentresistance/resiliencemeasureswereinhelpinganinsurertoprovideaquoteforarisktheymaynothavequotedforwithoutthemeasures.

SigninguptotheEnvironmentAgency’sfloodalertwasoverwhelminglyineffectivewith46%sayingitmadenoeffectwhatsoever.

Intermsofmeasuresthatwereseeninapositivelightbyunderwriters,internalimprovementstotheproperty(e.g.hardflooring,waterproofwalls,movingelectricstoahigherlevelonthewall)werethemosteffective,with45%ofrespondentsstatingtheywereeffectiveorveryeffectiveingainingaquote.

However,therewasanoticeablesplitbetweenbrokerswhosawthismeasuretobenotveryeffectiveversuseffective(34%versus36%)whichmaysuggestthatusingafloodspecialistbrokermaybethekeytounlockingthepotentialofinstallingtheseimprovements[Figure3].

Figure 3 No effect Not very Effective Very Extremely whatsoever effective effective effectiveSigninguptheenvironmentagencyfoodalerts 46.43% 29.76% 21.43% 2.38% 0.00%

Doorandwindowshields 16.87% 54.22% 25.30% 3.61% 0.00%

Non-returnsewervalves 16.87% 42.17% 36.14% 4.82% 0.00%

Airbrickcovers 19.28% 48.19% 25.30% 7.23% 0.00%

Internalimprovementstotheproperty(e.g.hard 5.85% 34.15% 36.59% 8.54% 4.88%flooring,waterproofwalls,movingelectricstoahigherlevelonthewall)

37

Thevastmajorityofrespondentsstatedthatinsurersdonotrecogniseanystandardsforresiliencemeasures(95%)[Figure4].Thosethatdidrespondwithapositiveanswertothisquestionreportedthattherequestwasonanad-hocbasisandthiswasnotacommonoccurrence.

Similarly,respondentsreportedthatinsurersveryrarelyaskforanycertificationoffirmswhoinstallsuchdefences(96%)[Figure5].

Figure 3 No effect Not very Effective Very Extremely whatsoever effective effective effectiveSigninguptheenvironmentagencyfoodalerts 46.43% 29.76% 21.43% 2.38% 0.00%

Doorandwindowshields 16.87% 54.22% 25.30% 3.61% 0.00%

Non-returnsewervalves 16.87% 42.17% 36.14% 4.82% 0.00%

Airbrickcovers 19.28% 48.19% 25.30% 7.23% 0.00%

Internalimprovementstotheproperty(e.g.hard 5.85% 34.15% 36.59% 8.54% 4.88%flooring,waterproofwalls,movingelectricstoahigherlevelonthewall)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Yes

No

Figure 4: Do the insurers you use recognise any particular certification or standard for defences or resilience measures?

Figure 5: Do the insurers you use recognise any particular certification or standard for the firms installing defences or resilience measures?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Yes

No

38

Funding for resilience measuresWeaskedbrokersiftheirsmallbusiness(SME)clientwasabletoaccessa£5,000grant(similartotherepairandrenewgrants)offeredfollowingrecentfloodingevents,tobeusedtoimplementeffectiveresilienceandresistancemeasuresbeforeanyflooding,wouldthisimprovethebroker’sabilitytoplacetheirrisk.67%ofbrokersreporteditwouldbeeitheralittleeasierormucheasiertoplacetherisk[Figure6].

Floodresiliencemeasureshavedevelopedrapidlyoverthelastfewyearsandanecdotalevidencesuggeststheindustryisbecomingincreasinglyinterestedinresiliencemeasures.Indeed,theforthcomingBIBASmallBusinessinsuranceschemeincludingfloodcover,whichisintheadvancedstagesofdevelopment,willrecognisewhereapprovedmeasureshavebeenputinplaceintermsofpricing.

It would be much easier

It would be a little easier

It would make nodifference

Figure 6: If your SME client were able to utilise a £5,000 Government grant to implement effective resilience and resistance measures before any flooding, would this improve your ability to place their risk?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

39

EchoingtheresponsesshowninFigure3,themeasuresmostlikelytoresultinalowerpremiumwereinternalimprovementsthatwouldreducethesizeofloss,ratherthanpreventthefloodingepisodefromhappening(60%)[Figure7].Asrespondentscouldtickalloptionsthatapplied,nonreturnsewervalvesanddoorshieldswerealsoseentobesomewhateffectiveinachievingalowerpremium.Inthefree-textfieldsthecommentsalsoshowedthat,forsomebrokers,measuresmadenodifferenceandformanyothers,itmadethedifferencebetweenbeingabletosecurecoverornot–butmadenodifferencetothepremiumortermsoffered.Thisagainsuggeststhatthekeytoobtainingbettertermsistouseaspecialistfloodinsurancebroker.

Figure 7: Which resilience/resistance measures can achieve improved terms from an insurer, eg a lower flood excess? Tick all that apply.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Signing up the environment

Door and window shields

Non return sewer valves

Air brick covers

Internalimprovements

Other (please specify)

40

Theprincipleofindemnityininsuranceistoputtheinsuredbackinthesamepositiontheywereinpriortotheloss.Whenitcomestoflooding,oftenamoreresilientrepairwouldbepreferableasthiswouldreducethesizeoflossiftherewasafurtherflood.Weaskedbrokersifthepanelofinsurerstheyusedwouldallowmoreresilientrepairifitwascostneutral.69%ofbrokersstatedtheirinsurerwouldallowthis,whilst31%saidtheirinsurerpanelwouldnotallowthis.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Signing up the environment

Door and window shields

Non return sewer valves

Air brick covers

Internalimprovements

Other (please specify)

Figure 8: Which resilience/resistance measures can lead to a lower premium? Tick all that apply.

41

Nextweaskedifbrokers’insurerpanelswouldallowthecustomertopayforresilientrepairsifitturnedouttobemoreexpensivetorepairinthatway.

Farfewerbroker(48%)reportedthattheinsurertheyworkwithwouldbepreparedtoallowthistohappen[Figure10].

Finally,weaskedbrokersiftheyhadanyfurthercommentsonthetopicofresilience.Wereceived34responsesfree-texttothisquestion,manyofwhichindicatedthatthereisnotwide-spreadrecognitionofresiliencebyinsurers.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Yes

No

Figure 9: Would you insurer panel allow resilient/resistant repair after a claim if it was cost neutral?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Yes

No

Figure 10: Would the insurer allow the customer to pay for or towards resilient/resistant repairs if they were more expensive to repair in that way?

42

Appropriatestandards,certificationschemesandskillsareneededinthepropertyresilienceindustrytoprovidereassurancethatworkhasbeendonecorrectlyandtohighstandards.Thecolourcodedtablebelowshowscurrentdevelopmentneedsforallthreeareas.

• Red for full development needed;

• Amber for part development;

• Green for where the area has been developed already to substantial

extent, although some needs have been identified.

Area Standard Needs Comment

Risk BS8533 None Furthertrainingrequiredforprofessionals,particularlyassessment thoseinvolvedinplanningfloodresilientrepairschemes. BS8582 Furtherconsiderationoftheneededforprofessional guidanceandtrainingcoursesrequired.

Surveyors None Full Trainingcoursesaswellasstandardsandcertification needtobedeveloped.

Upto150,000UKpropertiesinfloodriskareasaresold eachyear.Trainingrelatedtoconveyancingsurveyorsin floodriskisrequired.

Installers PAS1188 Part TheBSischemeisnewtothemarket,itrequiresfurther understandingandacceptance;considerationoftherole ofnon-certifiableproductsisrequired.

Building None Full Materialsandproductsresiliencestandardsrequiredtomaterials/ complimentpropertystandards.products Fitnessforpurposeofmaterialsandproductsforflood resilienceneedstobefurtheraddressed.

RefertoBSi/CBcommitteeforconstructiontoconsider further.PASorsimilarstandardrequiredtogradethe floodresilienceofmaterialsandmeasuresinvolved.

Annex 2: Standards and certificates, development needs

43

Area Standard Needs Comment

Property BS85500 Part Greateruptakeofdesignandconstructioninnewbuildandrepairedrequired.designand Ademonstrationofwhatcanbedoneisrequired.construction (CIRIAC623 DCLG,2007)

Flood PAS1188 Part PAS/BSENdoesnotcoveralltypesofproducts;notallmanufacturersworktoresistance thesestandardsandprocurementdoesnotenforceuseofstandards.technology FMGlobal FlooddoorsneedtobecoveredbyCENTC33/BS538. BSEN13564

Flood None Full Thisalsolinkswiththeneedsforfloodresilienceinbuildingmaterials,however,training,standardsandresilience certificationaroundthewholerangeofresilienceproductsisneeded.technology Resilienceproducts:including‘smart’technologyrequiresstandardsandcertification.

Drying PAS64 None BritishDamageManagementAssociationaccreditsmembercompaniesforsuchwork.buildings Widerdisseminationanduseofthestandardrequired,ensureinsurerstakeonboard

Management BS12999 Part Standardinplace,butrequirementsforcertificationandtrainingstilltobeadvanced-recovery

Management CIRIAC624 Part Nationalstandards,trainingandcertificationrequired;contractorandspecifieralllacking.–installation 6steps offlood guidanceresilience

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