Policyholders worried as extreme weather becomes the norm

UK policyholders have expressed concern around extreme weather events or natural disasters damaging their home, according to a new survey from insurance software provider Guidewire.

A July 2025 report from the Met Office highlighted growing concerns for the UK’s climate, reporting that “baselines are shifting, records are becoming more frequent and temperature and rainfall extremes are becoming the norm”.

This is causing public concern, including from an insurance perspective. Guidewire’s survey suggested that customers were seeking clarity on the extent of their cover, with 32% reporting that they wished for more guidance from their insurer on their coverage.

A further 30% wanted simpler explanations of weather-related insurance terms.

Meanwhile, better visibility on risk was also a highly requested service, with one in three respondents suggesting that they would like their insurer to produce a public climate risk assessment tool.

Wildfires

However, British policyholders were less concerned by weather related damage than their European counterparts – particularly in wildfire-prone countries such as Spain, where 63% of respondents registered anxieties about such events.

Recently, Hiscox teamed up with Bellwether as it looks to bring an innovative approach to wildfire modelling.

In this partnership, Hiscox London market’s property division will work alongside the Bellwether team to integrate its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered wildfire tool alongside existing risk scoring and modelling.

Sarah Russell, managing director at Bellwether, said: “Bellwether leverages the best of Google’s geospatial knowledge and AI technology to help companies and communities adapt better to the changing landscape of severe weather events like wildfire.”