Home insurance claims data shows where the money goes and which perils cost most. Escape of water leads on both frequency and cost, and the average claim has reached a record £6,340 as labour and material inflation bite. Reading the data helps you see what your premium funds.
What the latest data shows
The ABI reports that home insurers paid out £846 million in property claims in the first quarter of 2026. The average household claim was £6,340, the highest on record and up 20% on the same quarter a year earlier. Extreme weather drove an average weather-related claim of £6,040, also a record and up 38% year on year. Subsidence claims averaged £17,820, up 9%, and theft claims averaged £4,350, up 14%.
Escape of water sits at the top of the list. Insurers pay about £1.8 million every day for damage from burst and leaking pipes, and data from Go.Compare puts escape of water at 28.6% of home claims declared in 2024, ahead of accidental damage and storm. Storm and theft follow as the next most common volumes.
What costs most
Escape of water, storm and theft dominate claim counts, but the heaviest individual costs come from large fire and flood losses. Weather-related damage in particular has grown as extreme weather events become more frequent. Subsidence is another high-severity peril, with average claims near £17,820.
How to use it
Use the patterns to weigh your excess, sum insured and prevention steps such as leak detectors. Our guide to escape of water claims covers the leading peril, our explainer on settlements explains how payouts are calculated, and our analysis of why home premiums move explains the pricing link.
Sources
- ABI, Home insurers pay out £846 million to support households, 6 May 2026 (average claim £6,340; weather £6,040; subsidence £17,820; theft £4,350).
- ABI, Burst pipes and water leaks (escape of water payouts of £1.8 million a day).
- Go.Compare, Escape of water tops home insurance claims, 2025 (28.6% share of claims declared in 2024).