04 September 2026
El Niño and your home: practical steps to reduce weather-related risks
4 minutes
The climate phenomenon known as El Niño, which is currently developing in the Pacific, is forecast to be one of the strongest on record and potentially the most significant in living memory. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/an-unprecedented-el-nio-and-its-implications-for-the-weather-forecast
While El Niño originates thousands of miles away, it influences weather patterns across the globe, including the United Kingdom. According to the Met Office, the current El Niño event may increase the likelihood of wetter, windier and stormier conditions across north-west Europe, including the UK, during the autumn and early winter.
Understanding the risks
El Niño occurs when sea surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer than average. This disruption affects atmospheric circulation and changes weather patterns around the world. The Met Office notes that El Niño events can influence rainfall, temperature and storm tracks, leading to significant impacts on infrastructure, homes and our communities.
While homeowners cannot control the weather, they can take practical steps to improve their property's resilience. Effective risk management focuses on identifying vulnerabilities before they lead to damage, helping to reduce disruption, protect valuable assets and minimise the likelihood of insurance claims.
What can UK homeowners do to reduce the chance of weather-related damage and avoid costly insurance claims?
For UK households, the greatest concerns are:
Heavy rainfall and localised flooding
Strong winds and storm damage
Fallen trees and branches
Storm damage to roofs, gutters and outbuildings
Water ingress following severe storms
Power outages
Inspect your roof
Many weather-related insurance claims begin with a small defect that goes unnoticed until a major storm arrives.
Homeowners should inspect their roof annually and particularly before the autumn and winter storm season. Look for:
Missing or slipped tiles
Damaged flashing around chimneys
Loose ridge tiles
Cracked roof coverings
Blocked valleys and gullies
If you are unable to inspect safely, arrange for a qualified contractor to inspect.
A loose tile that may seem insignificant during calm weather can become a major source of water ingress during high winds and driving rain.
Keep gutters and drainage systems clear
One of the simplest and most effective risk management measures is regular gutter maintenance.
Following periods of warm, dry weather, leaves, moss and debris can accumulate and block gutters and downpipes, causing water to overflow against outside walls.
Over time this can lead to damp penetration, direct internal water damage and even structural deterioration, particularly to internal timber, if allowed to go unchecked for a long period of time.
You should ensure that:
Gutters, valleys and hoppers are cleaned at least twice a year
Drains remain clear and unclogged. Check again after the trees have lost their leaves
Downpipes discharge freely
Surface water channels and ditches near your home are unobstructed
A relatively small maintenance cost now can prevent a significant insurance claim.
Manage trees carefully
Storm damage involving trees is becoming increasingly common.
Large trees close to buildings should be inspected regularly by a qualified arborist, particularly if they show signs of disease, deadwood, structural weakness, root movements or leaning.
Homeowners shouldn’t just remove trees, but regular professional management can significantly reduce the risk of branches or entire trees falling onto buildings, vehicles or neighbouring property. If the tree has a Tree Preservation Order, be sure to obtain permission before undertaking work on it, unless the tree poses an immediate risk of serious harm to people or property.
If the pattern of prolonged dry weather continues from 2026 into 2027, there is an increased risk of subsidence, caused by tree roots removing moisture from the soil. On clay soils, the clay will shrink and the foundations supporting the home may move. This is subsidence. Keep any trees, shrubs and plants near the home pruned as far as possible to reduce the chance of ground movement and structural damage.
Protect against surface water flooding
Surface water flooding occurs when heavy rainfall overwhelms drainage systems and water accumulates rapidly around buildings. This is what occurred in London in July 2021.
Simple measures you can undertake to reduce the risk of your home flooding include:
Installing temporary and removable air brick covers
Installing flood guards where appropriate
Installing non-return valves on drainage systems
Checking external ground levels
Moving valuable items off ground floors during severe weather warnings
Homeowners should also understand whether their property has previously experienced flooding and ensure this information is accurately disclosed to insurers.
Prepare for extended holidays
If your home is vacant for long periods, consider employing a house-sitter and at the very least ask a neighbour to check-in regularly. Home insurance policies typically contain a definition of “Unoccupied” which ranges from as little as 7 days up to 60 days. Check your own policy wording or speak to your broker for guidance.
Before leaving a property unattended:
Check the roof and gutters
Secure outdoor furniture
Close and lock windows
Ensure intruder and smoke/fire alarms are functioning
Arrange periodic inspections from a neighbour, friend or family member
Consider smart water leak detection devices. Increasingly, insurers recommend or even require a water leak detection system if there is an irregular pattern of home occupancy.
Create a home emergency plan
Weather events often cause secondary issues such as power cuts, transport disruption and loss of communications. Consider keeping torches and spare batteries, portable power banks to charge mobile phones, bottled water, essential medication, emergency contact details and your insurance documents to hand.
Make sure you know where your stopcock is, so that you can isolate the water supply and know how to turn off the electricity and gas supplies if necessary.
Review your insurance cover
Reviewing insurance cover is only one part of preparing for severe weather. A wider risk management review can help identify property-specific exposures, highlight practical mitigation measures and ensure cover remains aligned to the risks your home faces.
Speak with us to review your:
Buildings, contents, art and valuables sums insured
Unoccupancy limits
Jewellery and valuables limits outside of the home (sometimes referred to as floating limits)
Home emergency assistance services
Prevention remains the best protection
No one can prevent severe weather, and not every El Niño event will affect the UK in the same way. However, homeowners can reduce their exposure to loss and damage through sensible maintenance, good property management and regular insurance reviews.
The most expensive claims aren’t always the ones caused by headline weather events. They result from ordinary vulnerabilities in the home that weren’t addressed before.
As the weather in the UK becomes increasingly volatile, resilience is becoming just as important as the home insurance itself.
At Howden Private Client, our Risk Management team works with homeowners to help identify and reduce potential sources of loss before they result in disruption or damage. From property resilience and water damage prevention to flood, fire and security considerations, a proactive approach can often help reduce the likelihood and severity of future claims.
To speak to us about your insurance call 020 8256 4901 or email privateclients@howdeninsurance.co.uk
Sources
https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/learn-about/weather/oceans/el-nino
https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/learn-about/weather/oceans/el-nino,
Steve Moores
Steve has built up a wealth of expertise and insight in private client insurance, having worked in insurance for more than 20 years. As the lead for our Risk Management proposition, he helps clients reduce the likelihood of a claim and ensures that, if a claim does occur, their policy responds exactly as expected.
Steve Moores
Steve has built up a wealth of expertise and insight in private client insurance, having worked in insurance for more than 20 years. As the lead for our Risk Management proposition, he helps clients reduce the likelihood of a claim and ensures that, if a claim does occur, their policy responds exactly as expected.
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