A new report by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Heitman, a global real estate investment management firm, explores the impact of rising insurance costs on commercial real estate, strategies for managing costs and considerations for industry participants.

Property owners are finding their net operating incomes reduced as insurance costs increase and – in some cases – are seeing transactions falter or valuations decline. Further, those relying on financing are facing strict covenants from lenders regarding the terms of the insurance in place.  Insurance on the Rise: Climate Risk and Real Estate Investment Decisions highlights strategies for securing affordable insurance coverage, investment considerations that may make a building or portfolio more attractive to insurers, and emerging trends that could reshape the market moving forward.

Rising insurance costs are a significant factor impacting liquidity in the commercial real estate market,” said Laura Craft, Global Head of Portfolio Sustainability Strategies at Heitman. “Investors are increasingly taking on more risk and initial out-of-pocket costs, as insurers reprice to limit increased payouts and higher risk exposure. As investors and other market participants navigate these new challenges, the Insurance on the Rise report offers actionable insights and strategies to adapt to the evolving landscape, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions and maintain resilience in their portfolios.”

“Natural catastrophes are costing the global insurance market tens of billions of dollars, contributing to rising property insurance premiums and introducing new levels of uncertainty across the commercial real estate market,” said Lindsay Brugger, Vice President of Urban Resilience at ULI. “As extreme weather events increase in frequency, intensity, and cost, a property insurance policy can no longer be real estate’s sole risk reduction strategy. Strategic management of physical climate risk must be part of the solution.”

“The physical impacts of climate change are impacting Europe with ever greater frequency and severity, as witnessed in recent weeks with Storm Boris wreaking havoc and causing severe flooding across Europe”, comments Simon Chinn, Vice President, Research & Advisory Services, ULI Europe. “It will be one of the region’s most costly extreme weather events on record, with insurers facing estimated claims of up to €3 billion.”

“Increasing commercial insurance rates reflect a growing recognition of the realities of physical risk from climate related extremes such as flooding and wildfire in Europe. However, with only a quarter of the EU’s climate related losses from disaster insured, according to the European Central Bank, there is danger of a significant and widening protection gap across the built environment that will risk financial stability and affect credit provision up to about €370 billion. In response to the recent severe flooding the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen made a pledge to make up to €10bn of recovery funds available. The implications for an industry already navigating a challenging economic climate are significant, and it’s clear we need investment strategies and solutions to address these financial risks and their consequences. This report provides an important basis for navigating this critical issue.”

To manage rising costs, Insurance on the Rise considers a two-prong approach that pairs creative insurance solutions with a risk-aware investment strategy:

1. Creative insurance solutions include stitching together coverage from multiple insurance carriers, opting for higher deductibles or aggregate deductibles, employing self-insurance, self-insured retentions, or captives, and leveraging parametric and/or excess and surplus line coverage.
2. Risk-aware investment strategies that examine portfolio size and geographic diversity, asset and market exposure to physical climate risk, asset and construction type, and asset scale resilience measures can facilitate strategic portfolio construction to better navigate insurance implications.

The research further highlights emerging trends stemming from the single-family homeowner market that could have implications for commercial real estate; including the possibility of insurance-driven migration, the growing insurance protection gap, and the solvency of government backed insurance programmes.

This report is the fifth in a series produced by ULI and Heitman examining the intersection of climate risk and real estate. More information on the previous four reports can be found here:

• Change is Coming: Climate-Risk Disclosures and Their Implications for Property Owners
• Climate Migration and Real Estate Investment Decision-Making
• Climate Risk and Real Estate: Emerging Practices in Market Assessment
• Climate Risk and Real Estate Investment Decision-Making

The full report is available on ULI’s Knowledge Finder or Heitman’s website.

Notes to reporters and editors:

For more information, please contact:

• Urban Land Institute [email protected] 
• Heitman [email protected]

About the Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has more than 48,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information on ULI, please visit uli.org, or follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About Heitman

Heitman is a global real estate investment management firm with nearly $50 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2024. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Chicago, Heitman has 10 offices worldwide and is an active participant in the global real estate property and capital markets. Heitman makes real estate investments through private equity, debt, and publicly-traded real estate securities. As part of Heitman’s investment process, environmental risk factors and their impact are considered in conjunction with other facts to ensure appropriate operating efficiencies are achieved in a manner consistent with the underlying investment objectives. For more information on Heitman, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.