UK insurers have reported a sharp rise in subsidence claims following the hottest summer on record in England and Wales, with Hastings Direct recording a near-140% jump in August claims compared with the same month last year. The surge, driven by five successive heatwaves after the warmest ever spring, matters because it signals a growing financial and structural risk to homeowners as climate change makes hotter, drier summers more frequent, causing ground beneath properties to shrink and foundations to shift. The British Geological Survey warns that millions of homes are at risk, particularly older properties in London, Essex, Kent and a stretch of eastern England from Oxford to the Wash.

Insurers including Aviva and Axa have also reported rising claim numbers and expect the trend to continue into fresh weather, unless sustained rainfall restores soil moisture. The average UK subsidence claim reached a record £20,000 between April and June, according to the Association of British Insurers, with total payouts for domestic subsidence hitting £72m in that period, up from £60m a year earlier; annual payouts reached £297m in 2025, an 89% rise since 2022. Signs of subsidence include diagonal cracks wider than 2.5cm, sticking doors and windows, and sloping floors, with insurers urging homeowners to remain vigilant as claims are expected to stay elevated into October.