Streamlining subsidence: Verifii helps insurers tackle surge volumes

After a hot and dry spring and summer, the UK is experiencing a surge in subsidence claims, stretching the capacity of insurers, loss adjusters, and supply chains. With clay soils drying and shrinking, the pressure is on to investigate and mitigate faster without compromising on quality.

For Enviro Trees, this environment has highlighted the critical role of Verifii, the company’s proprietary combination of a mobile data-capture app and business intelligence engine, purpose-built to deliver accurate arboricultural reports at speed and scale.

Since winning ILC’s ClaimsTech – The Pitch Expert & Investors Choice Award in 2024, Verifii has undergone continuous development to meet the evolving needs of insurers and adjusters. The technology has been deployed across hundreds of subsidence claims throughout August and September, enabling Enviro Trees to produce arborist reports in under five days, compared to typical turnaround times of two weeks or more during surge conditions.

This rapid reporting is allowing insurers and adjusters to progress claims to mitigation much earlier, shortening claim lifecycles and improving the overall policyholder experience.

“Verifii is being deployed in a variety of ways across our client base,” explained James Murrey, Chief Operating Officer at Enviro Trees. “Some clients are using it right at first assessment, which allows them to tailor the investigation pathway for each claim. That often means cutting out steps that may not add much value, such as unnecessary level monitoring or even SI reports, which helps keep claims moving.”

Not every client uses the same approach. While some integrate Verifii at the earliest stage of the claim, others prefer more traditional instruction methods. In these cases, Enviro Trees’ national surveyor network captures data through Verifii, allowing arboriculturists to begin analysis immediately and keep turnaround times short.

Verifii has proven particularly resilient during surge conditions, where volumes would typically strain conventional reporting models.

“We’re really pleased with how Verifii is performing,” said James. “In September alone, we produced hundreds of arborist reports in less than five days. That speed is making a genuine difference to insurers, adjusters, and policyholders alike.”

Enviro Trees’ strategic partnership with Auger is another example of how Verifii is reshaping workflows. By integrating site investigation and arboricultural reporting, the two businesses are now delivering bundled SI and arborist reports in under 19 days, compared with the traditional multi-stage process.

“Our strategic partnership with Auger is another example of how Verifii is challenging the status quo,” James noted. “Together, we’re delivering a combined site investigation and arborist report in under 19 days – that’s industry-leading and allows claims to progress to mitigation significantly faster.”

Beyond reporting, Enviro Trees provides a fully managed mitigation service across the UK, including tree works and planning applications. This integrated approach ensures a smooth transition from diagnosis to resolution, removing delays that can occur when multiple suppliers are involved.

“Our tree crews are already out across the UK carrying out mitigation works on the back of these reports,” says Murrey. “It means we can take a claim from assessment right through to action without losing time, which is exactly what’s needed during surge periods.”

The current subsidence surge has underlined the importance of speed, resilience, and innovation in managing claims effectively. By combining arboricultural expertise with a scalable technology platform, Verifii is helping the insurance industry respond faster and more effectively to one of its most seasonal and surge-sensitive challenges.