Climatic risks can be determined with the use of technology

Royden Volans, commercial director at Lightstone, specialists in spatial and data driven insights, says it is critical for consumers and insurance companies to understand the propensity for the occurrence of various risks such as lightning and hail in order to properly assess and mitigate against them. "It is widely known that some areas such as Gauteng are more prone to hail and lightning whilst the Western Cape suffers from extremely high winds. However, it is possible to drill down far deeper than that into the specifics of a location - even down to a particular property."

A presentation in October by the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) highlighted the catastrophe risks faced by local insurance companies, noting that insurers need to start utilising available data in order to properly assess risks on an individual basis.

Accessing detailed information

Volans says insurance companies can access individual reports on properties detailing a variety of information such as seismic activity and the location of the closest mine, the soil type and the presence of dolomite, as well as the gradient slope of the land. "Furthermore, they can also access the average weather conditions that occur at that property. For example, the data is available to assess the likelihood of flooding, the frequency of hail occurring each year and the lightning flash density of that area relative to the national average."

He says this kind of information is invaluable for insurance companies as it enables them to properly assess the risk of each property that they take on. "The premium charged by an insurer could include specific risks facing that property so understanding the likelihood of lightning striking the structure or the frequency of hail occurring in the area is critical.

"By properly understanding what risks a property owner may face, the insurer or broker can not only alert them to this but can also advise them on what steps to take to minimise the possible impact such as having lightning conductors installed or even ensuring they install a canopy or covering above their driveway to protect their vehicles against hail damage."

Inform insurance company

He notes that consumers who opt to take proactive steps to mitigate their risks should alert their insurance company before doing so as they may also be able to negotiate on their premium. While it is important to assess the natural risks that can occur, the Xpose report offered by Lightstone, also highlights a number of other pertinent risks such as the number of residential and non-residential burglaries per 1 000 households, the crime growth rate, overall crime per 1 000 households as well as a Crime Risk Index.

"The ability to be able to instantly access a report that provides a comprehensive list of the risks that a property faces - from natural catastrophes right through to the frequency of crime - is an invaluable tool that can assist insurers in calculating an accurate premium and the consumer by showcasing the risks before they buy a particular property," concludes Volans.