Zurich expands support for flood-prone customers

Zurich Insurance has joined Flood Re’s Build Back Better (BBB) scheme to help reduce the impact of future flooding on homeowners. 

The scheme will enable eligible Zurich customers to access up to £10,000 to pay for the installation of flood resilience measures when repairing their properties after a flood.  

According to the Association of British Insurers, the annual cost of flood damage across the UK is currently £700m—a figure that is expected to rise as the climate crisis worsens.  

As a result, the BBB scheme aims to limit the financial and emotional cost of flooding by making properties more resistant to flood. 

John Keppel, Zurich’s chief sustainability officer, said: “From heatwaves to flooding, the UK is already feeling the impact of the UK’s changing climate. We need to act now to ensure our communities are better prepared to withstand and recover from, more extreme weather events.  

“Damage caused by flooding has a devastating impact on people’s homes, health and livelihoods. Investing in flood resilience measures can reduce the distress and disruption caused by flooding and help people to return to their normal lives quicker.”  

Andy Bord, chief executive officer of Flood Re, shared his excitement about Zurich UK signing up for the scheme.  

Bord said: “We are delighted that Zurich UK has become the latest major insurer to sign up to our ground-breaking Build Back Better scheme.  

“We know that investing in property level resilience can significantly lessen the damage caused by future flooding, reduce the stress and trauma of those impacted, and enable householders to return to their homes sooner.  

“The addition of Zurich to the list of insurers taking part in the scheme also marks another step forward towards our vision for Build Back Better to become a standard part of home insurance policies in the UK.”  

Bord added: “This outcome, together with continued investment in flood defences and appropriate controls on building development, will help ensure the UK is better able to manage the effects of climate change and increased flooding.” 

Image source: Canva 

Billy Simons