Property Claims Evolution: How Technology Strengthens Supply Chains

19 November 2025 / 4 min read

In recent years, the property claims landscape has faced a perfect storm of challenges: rising costs, supply-chain disruptions, and shifting regulation are testing insurers’ ability to settle claims both quickly and cost-effectively. At the same time, advances in data and technology are opening new opportunities to manage these challenges more intelligently.

Recent years have seen insurers adapt to a volatile environment—characterised by post-pandemic labour shortages, inflation for construction materials that’s above the already-high average, and the ripple effects of onshoring—but the lessons learned are now informing a more resilient approach.

At the 2025 Verisk Insurance Conference in London, Verisk brought together a panel of leading experts from across the property claims ecosystem to explore how insurers can navigate this evolving landscape. The discussion focused on practical strategies for leveraging data-driven insights, automation, and collaborative approaches to improve claims efficiency and customer experience. By sharing real-world examples and forward-looking perspectives, the panel highlighted how innovation and resilience are becoming critical differentiators in an increasingly complex market.

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Balancing capacity and cost

In today’s construction and repair ecosystem, capacity management has become a double-edged sword. Labour and skills shortages, coupled with a rise in insolvencies among contractors, have created a volatile balance between demand and supply. In more active claim years, this abundance of available capacity helps ensure cover is maintained. But in a benign year such as 2025, excess capacity can quickly turn into inefficiency, adding cost pressures to the system.

Insurers are responding by learning how data can help predict these capacity fluctuations, not just by accessing data and using it effectively, but by sharing it with all relevant stakeholders.

Importantly, while these tools may support skilled tradespeople and end-customers by helping property claims move faster and more predictably, they must be robust and well-trained to ensure that risks and hazards aren’t overlooked. The future belongs to blended models, where advanced analytics and human skill combine to deliver better outcomes.

The role of data and market intelligence

Market intelligence (MI) is critical for effective resource planning.

“I’ve worked on both sides of the fence,” explains Samuel Garland, Account Manager and Systems Trainer at Verisk. “In my previous roles, we used MI to paint a picture for stakeholders—where shortfalls might appear, which postcodes might face pressure, and where we needed to strengthen our supply chain.

“Now, with Verisk, I see just how valuable that data is to insurers’ decision-making. Without accurate information, it’s easy to make the wrong decisions or choose the wrong solutions for the challenges they face.”

Accurate MI helps insurers better anticipate surges, allocate resources efficiently, and identify vulnerabilities before they affect customer service. As Garland noted, this requires more than simply presenting data. It must be contextualised to be understood.

“It's well known that construction is not an easy industry to be in,” he said. “We have a duty to make MI understandable and useful. If we just hand over raw data and expect clients to understand it immediately, we haven’t done our job.”

In an environment where no two years look the same, flexibility is key. Insurers can’t staff purely for a quiet year, nor can they maintain surge-level resources indefinitely. The sweet spot lies in building resourcing systems that can flex across departments and geographies when demand ebbs and flows.

The cost of building back better

Sustainability and resilience are growing priorities in claims and restoration work, falling under the banner of “building back better”. Customers are increasingly aware of the environmental considerations involved in a rebuild—whether it be the environmental impact or building for resilience against natural hazards—but education is key. Many still expect a like-for-like restoration, not realising that materials or regulations have evolved.

Communication among surveyors, project managers, and insurers is vital to help policyholders understand their options. Building back better can be challenging during surge periods because of the added pressure on supply chains. That said, many customers may be willing to wait longer if they know the final product will be more resilient.

According to Garland, the key is to equip every link in the chain with high-quality information when it’s needed to make decisions quickly.

“We need to make the decision easy for insurers by putting the data in front of them as fast as possible. The greener option might cost more, and if that’s the case, they need that information as quickly as possible so they can respond,” he said.

“It's not just the building repair teams that are interested. Underwriters also need to know early, because if repair costs suddenly increase by 10-15%, premiums also will need to adjust.”

He adds that this information shouldn’t be confined to senior decision-makers. “If surveyors on site know that a sustainable or resilient option is available—and that their company supports those choices—they can act appropriately and in the best interests of the supplier and the insurer. Getting that information as low down the chain as possible ensures that everyone is on the same wavelength.”

Building a smarter property claims ecosystem

The evolution of property claims is being driven by a convergence of forces: economic, technological, and environmental. To thrive in this landscape, insurers must combine intelligent use of data, strong talent, and an agile approach to capacity management.

When these factors align, insurers can achieve the balance every claims leader seeks: speed, accuracy, and resilience.