Loss Assessor London

Flats, leasehold and shared buildings insurance

More than half of the homes in Newham are now flats or maisonettes. The share rose from 46.4% in 2011 to 54.6% in 2021, the biggest increase of any local authority in England and Wales. Across London, around 62% of flats are leasehold.

That matters when something goes wrong. In a leasehold flat the buildings policy is usually arranged by the freeholder or managing agent, while your own policy covers your contents. A leak from the flat above or a fire in a converted terrace can involve several policies, so we work out which policy responds to which part of the loss before anything is submitted. Our pages for homeowners and landlords explain how we approach each.

Flash flooding and basement homes

On 12 and 25 July 2021, intense rain overwhelmed London's drainage twice in two weeks, and more than 2,000 properties flooded across 24 boroughs. The Environment Agency now puts almost 320,000 London homes and businesses at high risk of surface water flooding, including at least 56,000 basement homes.

Surface water rises quickly and the water is often contaminated, so drying out, stripping out and alternative accommodation all need agreeing with the insurer early. Our flood damage claims page explains how we record this kind of loss.

London Clay and subsidence

Newham sits on London Clay, with river gravels and softer alluvium in the lower-lying parts of the borough. Clay shrinks as it dries in hot weather and swells when it is wet again, and nearby trees can make the movement worse. The British Geological Survey projects that more than a quarter of London's properties could be affected by shrink-swell by 2070.

Subsidence claims are costly and often disputed. The Association of British Insurers reported a record average domestic subsidence claim of £20,000 in the second quarter of 2026, after the warmest spring on record in England and Wales. Insurers look hard at the cause, the age of the cracking and the role of trees or drains, so the evidence needs to be right from the start.

Storm damage to older roofs

When Storm Eunice arrived on 18 February 2022, the Met Office issued a red wind warning covering London, with gusts above 90mph in exposed places, and the storm tore through the fabric roof of the O2 across the river in Greenwich. Original roofs, chimneys and parapets on older terraces are especially exposed in high winds, and insurers often argue that wear and tear, not the storm, caused the damage. Our storm damage claims page covers how we answer that.