Climate change, claims pressure and client expectations
Why Brokers now play a critical role in claims advocacy
Extreme weather is changing the insurance landscape fast. Storms are becoming more frequent, summers more volatile, and claims volumes are rising year on year. For brokers, this shift isn’t just a market trend. It’s a pivotal moment to strengthen client relationships, differentiate service, and deliver greater value when clients need guidance most.
David Williams, Non-executive Director, Qlaims, captures the shift clearly:
“We’re seeing more claims from more people than ever, and that changes what good broking looks like. The “delivery of the promise” is becoming the most critical measure of insurance performance, not price, not branding, but the integrity of claims support when a customer needs it most.”
A surge in claims and a surge in dissatisfaction
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the emerging pattern of climate‑driven claims. While storms dominate the headlines, drier summers are quietly increasing the number of subsidence claims. In some locations, this risk is further exacerbated by excessive water infiltration, which saturates the ground and causes it to lose cohesion, strength and load‑bearing capacity.
The market is under pressure. Which?’s 2025 super complaint found that home and travel insurance customers are “routinely treated poorly” during claims, with unclear terms and unfair outcomes. The FCA’s latest figures reveal 1.85 million complaints in 2025 H1, with over 717,000 involving insurance and protection.
As Williams comments “Delivery of the promise now sits at the heart of a broker’s value.”
For brokers, this represents both risk and opportunity. Clients who feel let down by the claims process turn to their broker. They expect answers, advocacy and clearer guidance than ever before.
Climate trends are creating more complex claims
Storms aren’t the only issue. Subsidence is among the most complex, technical and emotionally draining categories of damage for homeowners. As hotter, drier summers continue to drive an increase in these claims, many households remain unprepared, few expect this type of damage, and even fewer understand how subsidence is treated within policy wordings.
Williams sums this up “Subsidence is a climate story catching people off-guard, but brokers can get ahead of it. Here’s where brokers can deliver real leadership. Qlaims Loss Recovery Insurance includes subsidence as standard, unlike several competitors. That gives brokers a tangible, differentiated proposition in a market where climate driven claims are becoming more unpredictable”.
The Coming Surge Event
The UK hasn’t experienced a nationwide surge event since the 1987 storm. When the next one hits, strain on the claims system will be severe and clients will look first to their brokers for support.
Williams puts it plainly: “A major surge today would be awful. The system simply isn’t built for that volume.”
Brokers who proactively prepare their clients and strengthen their own claims support proposition will be the ones who retain trust and strengthen long term relationships.
First time claimants are rising
More customers are claiming for the first time because the climate is affecting them in new ways.
As Liz Latter, CEO Qlaims, notes: “This group often has little understanding of how claims work, holds unrealistic expectations, and has low awareness of the level of evidence insurers now require. As a result, the broker’s role has become more important and more visible than ever, positioning Loss Recovery Insurance as a distinct broker advantage in an increasingly tough market.”
Loss Recovery Insurance gives brokers a powerful answer to the biggest challenge clients now face, navigating a stricter, slower and more complex claims environment. It provides clients with a dedicated claims expert, delivers faster and stronger outcomes, improves clarity of communication, reduces friction with insurers, and ultimately creates a better experience at the point when clients feel most vulnerable. For brokers, it strengthens renewals, deepens trust, and provides a competitive edge in an increasingly commoditised market.
As Williams put it: “When insurers tighten processes, brokers need someone in the client’s corner, someone who knows how the system really works”.
A Clear Message for Brokers
Climate volatility isn’t going away. Claims pressure won’t ease. Consumer patience is already thin.
Brokers who step forward with stronger claims advocacy supported by Loss Recovery Insurance will be the ones who protect their clients and grow their portfolios.
In today’s market, it’s not just good practice. It’s good broking.