The FT’s recent reporting on home insurance claims offered a clear message: many UK households are struggling to navigate delays, disputes and rising costs. While national data helps explain the scale of the issue, the pressure points often look different at regional level.
A broader explanation of these national pressures is set out in our article on why home insurance claims are becoming harder to resolve, which examines the structural challenges behind these trends.
Northern Ireland has its own patterns — shaped by local housing stock, weather conditions, and the types of damage that occur most often. Many of these pressures echo the hidden reasons home insurance claims get delayed, such as multi-stage assessments, drying cycles and scheduling constraints that influence how claims progress.
This article outlines what we’ve seen across more than five years of settled claims handled in NI, and how those patterns compare with the UK-wide picture.
1. Escape of water dominates NI claims by a large margin
Across the full dataset of settled claims, escape-of-water incidents account for the vast majority of losses. This mirrors the national trend, but the dominance in NI is even more pronounced.
Common causes include:
- pipe failures in floors or walls
- leaks from bathrooms and ensuites
- failures in hot-water or heating systems
- long-running leaks that only surface when flooring swells or ceilings discolour
Many NI homes have multiple pipe runs concealed under timber floors and behind plasterboard, which means leaks can spread unnoticed before making themselves visible. This partly explains why average leak settlements in NI have risen steadily in recent years.
A fuller explanation of why reinstatement can become complex — and why scopes often grow once drying and strip-out begin — is available in our article on understanding reinstatement.
2. Claim values have increased in the past three years
The FT article noted that building-cost inflation has affected reinstatement work across the UK. NI has seen the same pressure.
Local data shows:
- average leak settlements rising year on year
- the steepest increases occurring from 2022 onwards
- a noticeable shift towards multi-room reinstatement projects
Higher costs don’t just come from materials. Longer drying times, more extensive strip-out and greater complexity in reinstatement all contribute to larger settlement figures. These situations often highlight why insurers focus heavily on clear evidence of cause, which we explain in our guide to common reasons home insurance claims are rejected.
3. Smaller towns often see higher average claim values
National reporting tends to focus on cities. But in NI, some of the highest average settlement values occur in smaller or less densely populated areas.
This is usually due to:
- older housing stock
- limited early detection
- greater use of timber and plasterboard systems
- reinstatement spanning several connected rooms
These cases aren’t always high in volume, but when they do occur, they can be technically complex. This difference between volume and severity is one of the more distinctive features of NI’s claims landscape.
4. Winter is consistently the most expensive season
National data points to weather as a rising factor in claims. NI displays a clear seasonal pattern:
Winter tends to produce:
- higher settlement values
- more complex leak paths
- increased cases related to frost damage
- longer drying cycles
Loft voids, unheated extensions and garages are particularly vulnerable during cold spells. Even a short freeze can lead to failures that affect several rooms.
This seasonal pattern aligns with what the FT described: homeowners dealing with prolonged disruption while the building stabilises enough to be repaired.
These pressures can be challenging for homeowners, but many delays can be reduced with early organisation and clear evidence. Our guide on how to regain control of a difficult insurance claim outlines the steps that make the most practical difference.
5. High-severity perils create some of NI’s largest payouts
Although escape of water is by far the most frequent issue, the most expensive individual NI claims come from:
- escape of oil
- flood damage
- frost damage
- fire damage
These are low-frequency events but high-cost incidents. They often require specialist contractors, environmental oversight, structural assessment, or complete ground-floor reinstatement.
This echoes the FT’s focus on cases where complexity multiplies once contractors, surveyors and insurers all become involved.
6. NI households face similar systemic challenges to the rest of the UK
The FT article described homeowners feeling overwhelmed by:
- repeated handovers between departments
- inconsistent communication
- unclear responsibilities
- delays in decision-making
NI is no exception. Where a claim spans several rooms, involves complex drying, or requires multiple trades, any missing report or conflicting update can stall progress.
The challenge isn’t unique to one insurer or one region — it is a structural feature of how modern claims are handled.
7. But the local context matters
What makes NI distinct is its combination of:
- older housing stock in many towns
- weather patterns that create repeated winter issues
- properties with interconnected layouts where leaks spread quickly
- reinstatement work that often crosses multiple disciplines
These local factors mean NI homeowners benefit from clear documentation, early reporting, and a good understanding of what the claims process will require.
What this means for homeowners
The FT’s national reporting provides a useful backdrop, but NI has its own story. Most households are dealing with:
- a higher probability of water-related damage
- seasonal pressures that increase complexity
- rising reinstatement costs
- a system that involves multiple organisations
These challenges don’t mean claims are unwinnable or inherently adversarial. They mean homeowners need clarity on what evidence to gather, what to expect at each stage, and how to avoid delays caused by uncertainty.
Next in the FT Response Series
Part 5: “How Homeowners Can Regain Control of a Difficult Claim”
The next part of this series will explore practical steps that help households regain control of a difficult claim — especially when delays begin to build.
You can continue reading the series through our main hub page, which brings all FT Response Series articles together.
