What are the main reasons for Property claims inflation?

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic was dominating news headlines, now, the cost of living and inflation rates are today’s headlines – but how did we get here? This article drafted by our Group claims specialists provides an overview of some of the specifics that are driving inflation rates and as a result, claims inflation.

Brexit

The impact of Brexit has disrupted supply chains because it has called for new negotiations for cross-border trade. This has resulted in added cost, complexity, and delays in shipping. Some suppliers have even downgraded the UK as a priority market because of Brexit.

Brexit also created a skill shortage, and regulatory changes have made working in the UK less attractive to EU nationals who are increasingly returning home.

Labour

UK unemployment is low, which has resulted in high vacancies and more competition for increased salaries, the lack of skilled labourers required for construction, alteration, and reparations of buildings.

Global supply chain

The world is seeing record highs in the cost of petrol and diesel, which has been driven by supply challenges. Freight shipping costs have more than doubled since 2020, and machinery and plant have longer lead times as a result, particularly with items that are manufactured outside of the UK¹.

Climate change

We are also beginning to see major impacts of global warming, in the form of increased storm and flood frequency and severity. This coupled with inadequate investment in drainage infrastructure in the UK is adding to the damage.

For example, Flood Re estimates that flooding will have increased between 25% and 80% by 2050, depending on the rate in which weather temperatures increase².

How we can help

Specialist Risk Insurance Solutions (SRIS) Claims Director, Justin Welham comments:

“In the property market we’ve seen post-pandemic supply chain bottlenecks, higher energy and transportation costs, and shortages of labour all contributing to higher inflation in 2022.

In 2023 we’ve seen that the war in Ukraine has further fuelled global inflationary and supply chain pressures, causing price shocks for a wide range of commodities, including energy, food and construction materials. This Supply chain disruption and rising prices are driving up replacement and rebuilding costs for property and construction claims.

This will inevitably leave companies exposed to under-insurance across their property portfolios. Our team continue to work closely with our clients in terms of costs mitigation and making sure that their property portfolio sums insured have been recently reviewed to avoid the pitfalls of under-insurance.”

For more information on claims inflation and how this may impact you get in touch with our expert team.

What about injury claims?

Find out more about why claims inflation in relation to liability.

Sources:
1 https://www.axaconnect.co.uk/siteassets/broker-documents/commercial-lines/product-support-documents/guide-to-property-claims-inflation.pdf 
2 https://www.floodre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Flood-Re-Response-to-Principles-20Aug2020.pdf 

Inflation has stretched across all industries, and Motor claims is no different. This article drafted by our Group claims specialists outlines the overarching reasons and consequences you’re likely to hear about and experience.

The COVID-19 pandemic

The pandemic impacted supply chain as the world was placed on ‘lockdown’. This resulted in a shortage of semiconductors, which are computer chips used in a wide variety of technological products. For example, a fuel car requires upwards of 40 of these technology chips, and represent about 35% of the vehicle cost; without them our vehicles simply cannot be made.

The shortage is so significant that some manufacturing plants have been forced to close. As a result, the backlog of new vehicles means that second-hand vehicles are more expensive.

War in Ukraine

Conflicts in the country have directly impacted availability and delivery times of a variety of vehicle components. For example, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen have manufacturing resource in Ukraine for harnesses that hold vehicle cabling together. While they’re inexpensive, they are bespoke to each model.

Car plants have closed across Europe, as production can’t begin without these bespoke harnesses.

Employees in the motor industry are in decline

The HSE has said that the number of employees in motor has been in decline in the last few years. Brexit has accelerated this decline as overseas employees leave the nation. Finally, the cost of transport has also increased which has had a knock-on effect on inflation.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is predicting that 160,000 vacancies in the sector will need to be filled by 2031_¹.

Technological improvements in the motor industry

The introduction of new and innovative technology in electric vehicles has resulted in an unprecedented increase in car part theft, specifically lithium batteries, which are more expensive to replace or repair due to a lack of specialists in the industry (Only 6.5% of the current motor workforce is qualified to service EVs_²). It also costs a great deal more to dispose of lithium batteries, which inevitably increases premiums.

How will the inflation of motor claims affect you?

Specialist Risk Insurance Solutions (SRIS) Claims Director – Motor, Jamie George, comments:

“The SRIS Motor Claims Team works tirelessly to assist our customers throughout the entirety of the claim journey, from Day One with Own Damage or Third-Party Capture, to minimise and mitigate costs on all heads of claim. The teamwork with the customer to always protect their interests and have their best intentions in mind.”

• Instruction of own repairer/preferred repairer = building on lasting relationships
• SRIS Own Repairer Network availability
• Management of own vehicle consequential losses including downtime and Vehicle Off road costs
• Mitigation of ongoing losses for Fault and Non-Fault Incidents

Third Party

• Report! Report! Report! Is something to remember, the faster you report the smoother the claims process will be
• Ongoing Triage of all Incidents including Fault/Non-Fault
• Market support with Third Party capture including offer of own services for repairs

How we can help

SRIS Client Relationship Director – Motor, Robert Wright, comments “Early reporting is a must, and it will allow us to help you. After any incident, policyholders and drivers must respond quickly to requests for information. Having the right reporting processes in place to provide us with meaningful information in a timely manner is vital as this will allow us to ensure liability is quickly established.”

For more information on claims inflation and how this may impact you get in touch with our expert team.

What about injury claims?

Find out more about why claims inflation in relation to liability.

Sources:
1 https://tide.theimi.org.uk/industry-latest/news/imi-predicts-160000-shortfall-workers-uk-automotive-sector-next-decade 
2 https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/latest-fleet-news/electric-fleet-news/2021/08/19/uk-needs-75-000-ev-ready-mechanics-warns-imi 

What are the main reasons for claims inflation?

Over the last year, everyone has seen a rise in the ‘cost of living’ as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) continues to increase. There are several factors that have led to this consequence, with most industries affected.

What is claims inflation?

Put simply, claims inflation is the change in the average price of goods and materials, and services in relation to a portfolio of representative claims.

Our Group claims specialists put together three of the main areas we believe might affect our clients the most. Below, you will be able to read through the reasons for claims inflation in Motor Fleet, Liability, and Property insurance and gain an understanding of how the current economic climate could affect you and your business.

Motor Fleet inflation

With the average claim costing over £5,000¹, it is no wonder people are asking ‘why?’. In this article, the team talks about the specific elements across supply chains, conflict between countries, and the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic that has amounted to claims inflation for Motor policies.

Click here to read

Property Claims Inflation

From the global pandemic, and new regulations because of Brexit, to climate change, if you’re curious about some of the biggest reasons driving claims prices upwards in Property insurance read our latest article.

Click here to read

Liability Claims Inflation

When the cost of repairs, materials, and labour rise, so does the cost of third-party liability for property damage. Inflation also raises the cost of settlements and damages awarded in court cases.

Click here to read

How we can help

Specialist Risk Insurance Solutions (SRIS) Client Relationship Director – Motor, Robert Wright, comments “Early reporting is a must, and it will allow us to help you. After any incident, policyholders and drivers must respond quickly to requests for information. Having the right reporting processes in place to provide us with meaningful information in a timely manner is vital as this will allow us to ensure liability is quickly established.”

For more information on claims inflation and how this may impact you get in touch with our expert team.

Sources:

1 https://www.wtwco.com/en-gb/news/2022/07/uk-motor-claims-inflation-on-the-rise-with-added-pressure-from-delayed-injury-settlements

If your business has never been the victim of a cyber-attack, it can be difficult to comprehend how vulnerable your business could be. However, as a specialist insurance broker, we are here to help you understand the digital risks your business is exposed to so that you can take the appropriate action.

We often hear from clients that they are unsure of the digital risk their business faces and therefore, we have outlined a couple below with advice from our expert team:

“We invest in IT security, so we don’t need Cyber insurance…”

• Whilst investing in IT security is important, it is likely that your business will still be exposed to cyber risks as cyber threats are continually evolving to bypass these security measures.
• People are the weakest link in your IT security chain. Most cyber-claims are as a result of an easily preventable human error.
• Cyber insurance is a cost-effective way to get access to risk management tools including employee training programs, but it also provides you with an expert response team and covers all financial losses in responding to a cyber-attack.

“We don’t collect any sensitive data, so we don’t need Cyber insurance…”

• Two of the most common cyber-claims are not related to privacy. Fund transfer fraud is often carried out by criminals using fraudulent emails to divert the transfer of funds from a legitimate account to their own.
• Secondly, ransomware can cripple any organisation by freezing or destroying your business-critical computer systems.
• Neither of these types of incidents would be considered a data breach however, both can cause severe financial damage and are covered under a Cyber policy.

“Cyber-attacks only affect big businesses. We’re too small to be a target…”

• High profile cyber-attacks that have affected large organisations have raised awareness of the growing threat of cyber-crime through the media however, surveys conducted by cyber security organisations suggest that may small business owners are operating under a false sense of security because of this.
• As larger organisations get serious about cyber security, small businesses are becoming increasingly attractive targets for cyber criminals – and the results are often devastating for small business owners.
• Not only does insurance cover the costs involved in responding to a cyber-crisis, but it also provides you with instant access to a number of technical and legal experts who you may not have in-house.

“Our other insurance policies cover Cyber risks…”

• While there may elements of cover within traditional insurance policies, it tends to be partial cover at best, falling very short of what is covered under a standalone Cyber policy.
• Property insurance policies are designed to cover your bricks and mortar, not digital assets.
• Crime policies rarely cover social engineering scams (without onerous terms and conditions) which are increasingly conducted by cyber criminals and result in a huge source of financial loss for businesses.
• Generally, Professional Liability policies do not cover the first party costs associated with responding to a cyber event.
• A standalone Cyber insurance policy provides you with access to dedicated cyber claims experts who are trained to get your business back up and running with minimal disruption and financial impact. Without a specialist team, it could take your business weeks or even months to return to business as normal.

We are here to help

With extensive experience in the digital risk’s businesses are exposed to, we are well placed to support and protect your business.

For more information on how your business can benefit from Cyber insurance, get in touch with our specialist, Jason Cohen:

JasonCohen@hamiltonleigh.com