Catalyst

From no rain to far too much rain.

The Met Office is warning a climate impact triggered on the other side of the planet is greatly increasing the risk of floods in the UK this autumn.

El Nino, located in the Pacific Ocean, is expected to be the strongest in living memory.

It has the power to influence weather in different ways around the world. For the UK this autumn, that is likely to means more rain and more storms.

It also points to us being in the grip of a weather whiplash – extreme switches in weather presenting new challenges for insurance claims.

☀️ Summer drought – causing a subsidence surge
🌨️ Autumn storms – triggering floods
🏚️ Next summer, more dry weather – another subsidence surge

Here at Catalyst, we’re preparing for the whatever comes:

🤝 We’re recruiting more claims handlers
💰 We’re investing in our data technology
👷 And we’re expanding our field operations teams

If you want to be ready too, talk to us: 0333 004 8008.

Expertise is essential.

Sticking to a challenging task while caring for the customer’s needs are also vital elements of Catalyst’s customer service.

We’re pleased Stacey felt fully supported while we resolved her insurance claim. From the first call to job completion.

It’s an approach we strive for in all the services we deliver:

🛠️ Drainage investigation, repair and rehabilitation
🔎 Off-mains drainage investigation, repair and installation
💦 Water supply pipe investigation, repair and replacement
🏚️ Subsidence investigation, monitoring and remediation

All change! Possibly…🌨️

It’s about to rain in some parts of the country that haven’t seen anything but ☀️ blazing sunshine for weeks.

That doesn’t mean we’ll soon be armpit deep in water. Though experience tells us that is not impossible.

But it does mean care and maintenance of drainage systems will become a priority.

Whether you’re an insurance professional or property owner, read our drainage services page to refresh your memory about what this means.

🛠️ Be alert to drainage pipe blockages and other maintenance issues, like cracks and collapses.

🍂 These and other faults could cause problems as we head into autumn.

You don’t want to fall out of the frying pan into the flood!

https://catalystservicesuk.com/service/drains/

The flash droughts the UK is experiencing this summer are storing up a triple whammy of possibly serious problems for property owners.

1. The drying and hardening of ground adds to the risk of flash floods when torrential rain returns, putting homes and businesses at risk.
2. Then ground movement, especially in clay regions, as soils fill up with water again, can damage drainage and water pipes, triggering more flood risks, property damage, and sewage contamination.
3. Thirdly, this soil drying and wetting cycle can undermine foundations, causing subsidence.

These are risks Catalyst’s claims handlers know all to well, as they support insurance clients and policyholders.

It’s important to know what might be ahead. So take a look at our Subsidence Service Guides. There are three of them. It’s a big and complicated topic.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/service-guides/subsidence-service-guide-part-1/

Representative body Water UK said today water companies are slashing water main leaks.

To the point where the UK now loses less water from water main bursts than France.

Sounds good – but water leaks remain a common feature of home insurance claims.

And this summer’s heat wave is likely to result in a spike in claims over the coming months.

☀️ What is being called a series of flash droughts is severely drying soils.
🌨️ These soils will be refilled with water again over the winter.
💦 This will cause water supply pipes to flex, break, and leak.

Catalyst is across this – providing water leak investigation and supply pipe repair/replacement services for insurance claims across the UK.

We’ve reviewed and improved our water supply pipe service page to better explain how we help insurance clients and their claims customers.

Take a look here:
https://catalystservicesuk.com/service/water-supply-pipe-services/

Remember this?

Well, torrential, thundery rain has returned to some parts of the UK, mostly in the north.

But weather experts say dry conditions and above-average temperatures are likely to continue into September.

It’s a sign that climate change may be imposing cycles of summer drought and winter floods on the UK.

Our latest report explains how this trend could impact insurance claims for belowground services – drainage and water supply – and subsidence.

And how Catalyst is working with others to help insurance clients and policyholders respond to these risks.

Read our article.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/how-climate-change-is-impacting-insurance-claims/

Here’s a quirk of Catalyst’s service.

Doing urgent and valuable work at a customer’s home – then making it look as if you’d never been there, often gets the most praise.

Maralyn Parry commented on it in her 5-star Trustpilot review. She made an after having problem with her water supply.

Our claims and field teams did the rest. But it would be difficult to spot.

Wildfires triggered by heatwaves across Europe are shocking – and for some a tragedy.

They’re the most dramatic sign, this summer, of climate change in action.

While all eyes are on Bordeaux, central Spain and the Scottish Cairngorms, millions of properties here in the UK are at risk in more hidden ways.

Here’s what increasingly extreme cycles of summer drought and winter floods can do:

💦 Increase the risk of damage to drainage and water supply pipes.
🌨️ Cause more flash flooding of homes and businesses.
🏚️ Extend the area where buildings are at most risk of subsidence.

That means more complex insurance claims and the need for more action to protect property.

Read our report to find out more.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/how-climate-change-is-impacting-insurance-claims/

It’s usually really quite clear what customers value about our insurance claims service.

📣 Good communication
🏃 A fast response
🙏 A concerned approach to the work
🧹 Clean and tidy work
✔️ And, of course, the right solution!

Yvonne’s testimonial on Trustpilot after her water supply system sprang a leak covered all these bases.

Thank you, Yvonne, for your kind words.

Only connect, as the saying goes. (It’s not just the name of a BBC quiz show!)

We need to work together to tackle one of the most difficult insurance claims challenges – subsidence.

Catalyst’s Paul Duddle made the point as chairman of the Subsidence Forum when he welcomed delegates to the forum’s annual training day.

Skills training is as important as knowledge sharing, says Paul. The training day provided experts advice and demonstrations on five key topics.

🏚️ First notification of loss
🌳 Tree reports
🔎 Site investigations
👀 Monitoring
🛠️ Repair works

Read our event review for full details.

https://catalystservicesuk.com/all-aboard-next-stop-industry-leading-subsidence-training/

All aboard! Next stop industry leading subsidence training Insurance professionals were on track to significantly boost their understanding of one of the most complex property maintenance issues by attending the Subsidence Forum Training Day.