London – May 2023: Having launched the UK’s first National Cladding Dataset in February 2023 (See initial launch release here), WhenFresh has announced that the dataset has now more than doubled in size to provide the current cladding status of 1,122,004 individual properties within tall multi-dwelling units (MDUs) across the UK.
The National Cladding Dataset was launched in February, initially providing the cladding status of 485,234 individual dwellings within MDUs of 18m or more in height – but this has now been expanded to the current total of 1,122,004 dwellings with the addition of MDUs of less than 18m and, in particular, those of 11m-18m in height, which fall into the Government’s ‘Mid-Rise Scheme’ for remediation.
WhenFresh also stresses that this is a LIVE dataset, with monthly updates from the rolling program of property inspections that are carried out by the team of over 600 RICS qualified surveyors – employing both physical property visits and expert, remote/data-driven assessments.
This means that the cladding status of each of dwelling is constantly updated with additional dwellings also being added as inspections continue to be undertaken. The surveyor team has allocated each dwelling a cladding status, based on the following classification:
GREEN – Building has no cladding. (Specifically: EWS1 form recorded in Cladding Database with classification A1, A2 or B1 or considered to be out of scope as per RICS’s Cladding Guidance Note).
AMBER – Building potentially has cladding, merits EWS1 inspection. (Identified as potentially in scope, as per the RICS’s Cladding Guidance Note, no EWS1 form held currently).
RED – Building has cladding. (EWS1 form recorded in Cladding Database with classification A3 or B2, or other known adverse factors from alternative sources).
Due to the nature of the dataset and the rolling program of surveyor inspections, the cladding status of each dwelling is subject to change over time.
For example: A dwelling may originally have been categorised as AMBER, where the surveyor’s original inspection using a range of remote tools (e.g. satellite images, drone footage etc…) and data sources (e.g. building records) was not fully conclusive.
The cladding status of this dwelling may subsequently be updated to RED, following a surveyor visit as part of the rolling, physical property inspection program.
Then, once remediation work has been carried out and confirmed on the building in which this dwelling is located, the cladding status can be changed to GREEN.
In the brief time since the launch of the original National Cladding Dataset in February 2023, and the subsequent dataset expansion, driven mainly by the inclusion of MDUs of 11-18m in height, there have already been significant cladding status movements due to physical inspections or remediations, namely:
> 40047 dwellings have been updated from AMBER to GREEN cladding status
> 23933 dwellings have been updated from AMBER to RED cladding status
> 10019 dwellings have been updated from RED to GREEN cladding status
In addition to the RED/AMBER/GREEN cladding status classification, The WhenFresh National Cladding Dataset can also supply the following where available:
> The date on which the EWS1 was signed.
> The EWS1 classification: A1, A2, A3, B1 or B2.
> Any expert notes/covering letter provided by the RICS surveyors pertaining to each inspection.
The WhenFresh UK National Cladding Dataset can be appended at individual dwelling level, to any file of addresses (or UPRNs, UDPRNs, Title numbers etc…) for flat-file delivery, or can be accessed via the WhenFresh API, either in isolation, or in combinations with any of the 100s of other property data items WhenFresh holds.
Mark Cunningham, WhenFresh CEO & co-Founder states: “We expected the original cladding dataset launch to be well received, but we’ve been staggered by the level of interest from mortgage lenders, insurers, reinsurers and other parties. We’re therefore fully confident that the investments made in expanding the reach, breadth and depth of the dataset as it continues to evolve, will bring significant further benefits and risk insights for those who need to properly understand property cladding risk.”
Whether you’re an in-house collections team, a DCA or a related service provider, the current “perfect storm” of rising inflation, interest rates and energy costs means that’s its more important than ever to when, where and how to focus your efforts to obtain optimum outcomes.
In each case within a portfolio, the debt amount and payment histories are known – and consumer credit reference data can be readily purchased – but this still only gives PART of the picture.
Enriching the portfolio with WhenFresh data provides instant, up-to-date insights on the PROPERTY relating to each debt: it’s value, occupation, type, size & shape, likely monthly outgoings, when/how it last transacted and other key indicators… so you a much FULLER picture to inform and optimise your collections strategy to achieve better outcomes.
For Example:
> Is the property a wholly owned or mortgaged asset – or is it a private or social-housing rental?
> What are the likely rental or mortgage payments?
> What is the value, shape and size of the property – does this match with what has been declared?
> What are the likely Council tax, electricity, gas and water outgoings for the property?
> Is the property listed for sale or rental – i.e. is there a potential flight risk?
WhenFresh can deliver all this data and much, much more… at individual property level, either via flat-file data enrichment or instantaneously via the WhenFresh API.
Click here to find out more about the full range of property-related data WhenFresh hold to inform and improve your Collections strategy.
26 July 2022: Insurance data intelligence provider, Percayso Inform, today announces a new partnership with the UK’s leading supplier of residential property data, WhenFresh, to support the further development of Percayso’s property data capabilities for providers of household and SME insurance.
WhenFresh has combined its own proprietary datasets with hundreds of best-in-class private and public data sources in one place to create the UK’s “Residential Property Data Supermarket” for the UK insurance industry, mortgage lenders and other Big Data users.
Ian Lilley, Head of Partnerships at Percayso, says: “As we extend our services into both the household and SME commercial space, we want to be able to provide not just data but also analytical intelligence to our customers. WhenFresh shares the same ethos. The WhenFresh API gives instant access to over two trillion property-specific data items and can instantly return all the property attribute, risk, perils environmental and valuations data an insurance provider needs.
“There are a lot of synergies between our businesses. Like us, they’re constantly looking to add new datasets to anticipate market demand, but more importantly are willing to share their vast experience and knowledge to help analyse and advise on bespoke customer datasets. They’re more than purely a data supplier, rather a solutions provider. We’re looking forward to building a long-lasting partnership.”
WhenFresh CEO Mark Cunningham adds: “We’re delighted to be working with Ian and the Percayso Inform team to support their growth in the home and SME insurance sectors – and we’re sure our partnership will open some very interesting doors for both parties. Like Percayso, WhenFresh is a data agnostic business, so we often hold a number of different brands of data in the same category… so the user can choose their preferred option and/or other brands to suit their needs, in whatever format they require.
“Putting vast, readily accessible data assets, alongside the analytical capabilities and tools to deliver clear business improvements, into the hands of insurers, makes this a highly compelling proposition.”
Read the full Insurance Times article here
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About WhenFresh
WhenFresh is a leading supplier of residential property data to UK Insurers, Banks and other Big Data users. Combining its own proprietary datasets with 100s of best-in-class private and public data sources in one place, WhenFresh has created the UK’s “Residential Property Data Supermarket”. WhenFresh also develops tailor-made, data-driven decisioning solutions and Apps for its clients and was awarded Data Enabling Solution of the Year at the DataIQ Awards 2021, as well as featuring prominently in several prestigious Top 50/Top 100 InsurTech & FinTech reports.
About Percayso Inform
Percayso Inform’s insurance intelligence goes beyond traditional data enrichment, providing unique, real-time solutions at all stages of the insurance lifecycle and delivering a significant pricing advantage for insurance businesses.
17 June 2022: Digital broker Policy Powerhouse has launched the UK’s fastest and simplest holiday let insurance offering, powered by WhenFresh property data, meaning that holiday business owners can now obtain competitive quotes and buy buildings and contents insurance for single or multiple properties, in just a few clicks.
There are close to 200,000 UK properties in the holiday rental market but, with relatively few insurers offering this type of cover, it is a market that has long been poorly served, and shopping around for competitive quotes has, until now, been a long-winded, arduous process.
Fast, easy Holiday Let insurance – powered by WhenFresh property data
The new Policy Powerhouse platform changes this by asking the owner to answer only a handful of questions, with all necessary property attribute and risk data instantly delivered ‘behind the scenes’ by property data specialists WhenFresh, based simply on the address. The result is a fully online service that is considerably faster and simpler than ever before. Better still, owners can also insure one or more properties on a single policy, with a single policy fee and attractive discounts for multiple property cover.
CEO of Policy Powerhouse, John Bibby says, “We’re really excited to launch what we consider to be the most intuitive insurance platform on the market, which will transform the frankly rather tedious Holiday let insurance buying process, making it much faster and easier to obtain competitive pricing and a choice of coverage level to suit holiday let owners”
He goes on to explain, “Having been in the insurance market for most of our lives, we saw a gap in 4 critical areas of insurance: cost, speed of purchase, the ability to insure multiple properties on a single policy and range of products, particularly where requirements don’t quite fit the typical mould. This is where Policy Powerhouse comes in.”
The UK based digital broker, founded in 2021, aspires to bring non-standard insurance products within easy, fast, and cost-effective reach of buyers to save them time and money. Taking the hassle out of the insurance-buying process and delivering straightforward claims processes, with enhanced underwriting data and performance is core to their business model.
“Typically for non-standard insurance products like holiday let properties, owners need to hunt around for providers that offer the right protection, then undergo lengthy phone calls / processes to obtain a quote – which can ultimately end up in rejection. It can be very frustrating when you know what you want in an insurance product, but you aren’t able to purchase it easily,” explains Bibby.
Because holiday let properties can be left unoccupied for longer than 30 days and have multiple short-term tenancies, they are seen as a higher risk than standard home insurance. This means that standard home insurance policies typically do not provide adequate cover, which is where Policy Powerhouse’s holiday lets insurance fits.
The partnership with property data specialists, WhenFresh, is fundamental to making this new quote platform so fast and easy to use – as the property owner only needs to enter the address and all necessary property and risk related questions are instantly ‘pre-answered’ within the Policy Powerhouse platform, by pulling in data from the WhenFresh API. This removes the need for owners to complete lengthy, complex forms, making the process of obtaining a quote much faster and simpler.
WhenFresh CEO Mark Cunningham adds: “It’s great to see Policy Powerhouse innovating in the holiday let insurance space. WhenFresh already provides property data prefill services to many leading home insurers, to shorten and simplify the quote and buy process for consumers. So, it is refreshing to support this non-standard holiday let insurance platform, especially as these owners often live remotely from their holiday let properties. For some of the more challenging questions insurers might ask, the owner might otherwise have to make a lengthy trip to the coast, the Lake District or wherever it is located, to physically check the property! This is a great example of how smart technology and WhenFresh property data can be brought together to massively simplify and speed-up what was a complex and painful experience for buyers.”
Holiday let insurance launched in June 2022 and is the second product brought to market by Policy Powerhouse. Their first insurance product, Cancel Cover, offers holiday let owners protection against the risk of guests cancelling their bookings, allowing them to refund guests up to 95% of costs incurred and reclaim that refund via Cancel Cover. Holiday let owners can therefore compete with Online Travel Agents and protect their financial position.
COO of Policy Powerhouse, Steve Dixon, has worked on the idea behind the platform. “We envisaged a central platform where customers can manage all their insurance policies with ease, and also log their holiday booking for Cancel Cover protection. Insurance doesn’t stop when a customer has purchased, it is also about making the claims process as fast and easy as possible to reduce admin time.”
Dixon goes on the explain, “Efficient use of API’s mean that the customer experience is fast and frictionless, and our insurer partners gain enhanced insight into the risks that they accept. Our Holiday lets product is supported by A+ rated insurance capacity. Whilst we have focused upon making the platform as intuitive as possible, we recognise that some customers will need additional support, so all lines of communication are open at Policy Powerhouse, including via live chat, instant messaging, email, and phone. We are always there to support our customers and prospective customers”.
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Try the WhenFresh API Mini-Demo to get a flavour of the attribute, risk, peril, environmental, geospatial, climate and other data that WhenFresh can provide about virtually any residential property in the UK.
About WhenFresh – www.WhenFresh.com
WhenFresh is the UK’s leading supplier of residential property data to Banks, Home Insurers, Utilities, The Public Sector and other Big Data users, including 8 of the top 10 UK banks and the Bank of England.
WhenFresh combines its own proprietary datasets with 100s of best-in-class private and public data sources in one place to create the UK’s ‘Residential Property Data Supermarket’. Via a single, simple integration, the WhenFresh API provides users with instant access individual, address-level property attribute, risk, peril, topological, geospatial, environmental, climate, market movement, ownership, title, and remote valuations data, on a pay-as-you-go basis.
In addition to providing raw data items, WhenFresh develops tailor-made, data-driven decisioning solutions and Apps for its clients and was awarded Data Enabling Solution of the Year at the DataIQ Awards 2021, as well as featuring prominently in several prestigious Top 50/Top 100 Insurtech and Fintech reports.
About Policy Powerhouse – www.PolicyPowerhouse.com
Policy Powerhouse is a digital broker, offering uniquely tailored cover for non-standard requirements in the property, business, and leisure sectors. Combining more flexible, bespoke policies with advanced insurance technology, Policy Powerhouse’s next generation platform allows customers to reduce their time to obtain cover to just a few minutes.
With an executive & advisory board comprising many years’ experience at companies including AXA, RSA, AIG, Towergate and CETA, the business model constitutes a rapidly expanding product range, each with unique market offerings to fill gaps in the market. Cancel Cover and Holiday let Insurance are available with further non-standard insurance products being launched in 2022.
Customers are at the centre of the business model, ensuring that both the product and the service meets our customers very specific needs is fundamental.