insurers will test new home protection solutions

The insurance sector announced on Tuesday September 12 the launch of a “initiative” aimed at testing over five years the effectiveness of four types of solutions to combat soil deformation, particularly due to drought, which leads to cracks in houses and considerable cost for insurers. A project which should cost 8.5 million euros over the period.

>> Drought: owners of cracked houses, unwilling symbols of an insurance system overwhelmed by climate change

The four techniques tested are the rehydration of soils during periods of drought, the protection of soils, in particular by waterproofing them with a geomembrane, the injection of products near the foundations to change the nature of the soils and the reinforcement of the foundations.

More than 11 million homes at risk

In total, 300 houses will be part of the experiment: 200 which have already suffered damage and 100 others where the solutions will be applied for prevention. Houses built on clay soils are at risk of cracks due to ground movements caused by alternating periods of rain and drought.

This phenomenon is called shrinkage-swelling of clay soils (RGA) and affects more than 11 million houses, according to insurers. In 2022, the cost of drought on homes has been estimated at more than 3 billion euros, a record since the creation of the “natural disasters” regime in 1982.