Building Forensics pitches AI system to make housing risk more insurable

Building Forensics says it has turned 35 years of water-damage and mould expertise into AI-assisted housing management tools designed to prevent failures before they become complaints or claims. The pitch lands as housing providers face rising premiums, tighter cover and growing pressure under Awaab’s Law.

Why it matters: - Rising claims, higher premiums and tighter underwriting are making housing risk harder to insure. - Building Forensics is targeting that pain point with systems meant to improve control, documentation and early intervention. - The approach could matter to housing providers, directors, brokers and insurers dealing with damp, mould and liability exposure.

What happened: - Building Forensics unveiled a Housing Management System and related risk-control tools built around recurring failure points in housing operations. - The company says the systems were developed from more than 35 years of specialist experience and AI-assisted development. - The announcement comes as housing providers face mounting pressure in an Awaab’s Law compliance environment.

The details: - The Housing Ombudsman’s evidence to Parliament showed the maladministration rate in damp and mould determinations rising from 46% to 81% over four years. - Housing-sector insurance research has reported significant premium increases and more damp and mould claims, which has pushed insurers to reassess liability underwriting rates. - The National Housing Federation has reported that some housing associations have struggled to secure Directors’ and Officers’ insurance at the right level and cost. - Building Forensics says its system is designed to address fragmented information, delayed intervention, weak evidence, missed vulnerability, incomplete actions, repeated professional involvement, inappropriate contractor responses and uncontrolled risk. - The Housing Management System brings together tenant and property history, vulnerability, severity, response deadlines, inspection, contractor competence, outstanding actions, escalation and evidence of completion. - The system also includes structured controls and, where appropriate, 24/7 environmental monitoring. - Building Forensics says hazardous biological contamination should not be handed to an uncontrolled or inadequately competent contractor without proper assessment, scope, controls and verification. - The company says further information is available at BuildingForensics.ai.

Between the lines: - The pitch is not just about compliance software. It is also a business case for turning hard-to-insure exposure into a more measurable risk. - Building Forensics is arguing that insurers and brokers may be able to keep business if they can better characterize and control risk instead of only declining it. - The company is positioning itself against a reactive model where problems are handled after a complaint or claim arrives. - Jeff Charlton, founder of Building Forensics, said: “Insurance exists because risk exists. Simply withdrawing from risk protects the insurer, but it also removes business. The alternative is to identify the failure points, put controls around them and demonstrate that the risk is being managed.” - The company says AI-assisted development has converted its specialist knowledge on water damage, mould, biological contamination and remediation into practical management systems.

What's next: - Building Forensics says the next step is for housing providers to use the system to identify, assess, control, monitor, intervene and verify before conditions turn into claims. - The company is also pitching the tools to insurers and brokers as a way to examine whether difficult risks can become better-managed risks. - Building Forensics says it does not guarantee insurance availability, prevent every claim or determine underwriting decisions.

The bottom line: - Building Forensics is betting that the insurance pain around housing can be eased by turning reactive claims management into proactive risk control.