Future generations of property flood resilience (PFR) products will need to be smarter, more adaptable and better aligned with local building regulations and environmental conditions if they are to protect commercial and public buildings effectively, according to a new report from the University of Hull in collaboration with Intact Insurance.
According to the study, while the range of flood protection technologies has expanded in recent years, much of the market still targets residential properties. That leaves a gap in solutions designed for complex sites such as retail, logistics and industrial premises, public buildings and critical infastructure.
The collaboration comes as Intact continues to develop its UK commercial proposition following the rebrand of RSA’s UK and European operations and the expansion of its commercial lines portfolio. Supporting applied research on commercial PFR gives the insurer scope to build resilience more systematically into product design, risk selection and appetite.
The report, "A Blueprint for Innovation in Property Flood Resilience (PFR)," found that many existing products, including flood doors, barriers, water-resistance materials and smart monitoring systems, are primarily designed for homes and do not fully address the operational, safety and accessibility requirements of commercial and public buildings.
Commercial properties face distinct challenges. Floodwater can disrupt essential services, damage stock and equipment, and close sites for extended periods. Where assets sit within critical infrastructure or complex supply chains, the resulting business interruption can exceed the cost of physical damage, intensifying the risk picture for insurers and their clients.
The report also pointed to the potential for cross-product solutions that integrate flood resilience with fire safety, physical security and accessibility, and that can operate both passively and through sensor-driven activation. According to the report, such systems could significantly reduce flood damage and support faster recovery following events.
"This blueprint is the first step in an ambitious research partnership with Intact Insurance to help businesses and property owners adapt to the growing threat of flooding," said Stuart McLelland, deputy director of the Energy and Environment Institute and research leader at the University of Hull's PFRlab. "This blueprint identifies both opportunities and barriers within a growing market to develop integrated solutions that meet technical, regulatory, and usability standards."
According to the report, flood resilience technology has been constrained by fragmented standards, limited testing facilities and a lack of alignment between product certification, planning frameworks and insurance recognition.
While progress has been made on standards and testing for residential PFR, commercial applications remain less clearly defined. Differences in building design, fire regulations, accessibility obligations and patterns of use mean that simply scaling up household products is often inadequate.
For insurers, the absence of widely recognised standards for commercial PFR can make it difficult to reflect resilience investments consistently in underwriting, pricing and policy terms. Without confidence that products will perform as intended in complex buildings, many carriers have been cautious about offering premium incentives or broader cover in return for upgrades.
The blueprint calls for closer alignment between certification schemes, planning and building control, and clearer guidance on how tested PFR measures will be treated by insurers. If adopted, these steps could help move commercial PFR from a niche add‑on to a more mainstream component of risk management for occupiers, landlords and their brokers.
The blueprint is the first stage in a research programme between the University of Hull and Intact Insurance aimed at accelerating PFR adoption, particularly in commercial and public‑sector settings. Further findings from the partnership are expected later this year, including work on how new products can be tested, certified and recognised by insurers in practice.
