Climate hazards and housing: what the French experience, fear and expect

For this new edition, produced with IPSOS, the QUALITEL Association, which works to improve housing quality, wanted to know more about the subject: what damage is most often generated? Are homes considered sufficiently equipped to cope? Can these hazards and associated damage lead residents to want to move? What about their home insurance in this area? etc. These questions, posed to 3.680 people, allow us to consider the unavoidable issue of global warming from the specific perspective of housing. This insight was deciphered on October 8 in Paris, a few weeks after a summer season ranked by Météo France as the 3rd hottest summer on record.

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Climate hazards and habitat: massive awareness, lasting concern

Unsurprisingly, a population largely aware of climate change

According to the French, the climate situation is deteriorating: 75% believe that hazards are more frequent than ten years ago and 94% consider that France is now exposed to at least one type of climate risk. Among hazards, those related to water and wind (floods, storms, erosion, etc.) come first, cited by 87% of those surveyed, followed by hazards related to heat (heatwaves, fires, etc.), for 81%, and finally, those related to cold, for 27%.

Nearly 9 out of 10 French people already affected

86% of French people say they have experienced a climate hazard at least once in one of their homes, with or without material damage. They mainly cite: heatwave (74%), drought or hail (56%), storm (55%), cold spell (48%), or rain or river flooding (33%). It is worth noting that the phenomenon of clay shrinkage and swelling is mentioned by only 12% of those surveyed, even though it is also a significant phenomenon, potentially affecting more than 10 million homes.

A national phenomenon

No French region is spared from these hazards:

House or apartment, a large number of dwellings considered poorly equipped to cope

Nearly 1 in 2 French people consider that their home is not sufficiently protected against heatwaves, especially for apartment dwellers (60% vs. 42% for house dwellers).

In homes, however, it is against hail that protection seems to be the most insufficient (cited by 49% vs. 33% for apartments).

Climatic hazards that are worrying...

74% of respondents believe they will face climate hazards in their current home in the future, and this worries 42% of them. Here again, heatwaves and their effects at home are the most feared hazards (62% overall, and 67% for residents of metropolitan areas and the Paris metropolitan area).

...even considering moving, especially among the youngest

28% of people under 25 think they might be forced to move within 20 years due to climate change:

Comfort and damage: what concrete impacts on daily life and housing?

Being [too] hot at home, general discomfort

66% of French people report having difficulty coping with the heat at home. This figure rises to 71% in apartments (especially studios, 74%) and 72% in metropolitan areas and the Paris metropolitan area.

Note that the construction method of the housing and the associated inertia have a significant impact on this feeling.

Storms, hail, floods, drought…: these hazards that damage homes

More than 1 in 4 French people say they have suffered material damage in their current home over the past 10 years, whether to the home itself, the furniture or the equipment (28%).

And this damage affects both the interior and the exterior, particularly for houses:

• Roofing and framework: 44%
• Cellar, basement, crawl space, garage: 20%
• Interior of the house: 19%
• Facade: 26%

7% of people who have suffered damage linked to a climatic hazard say they have had to move permanently.

The significant "climate" bill, also on the housing scale: victims compensated but French people worried about tomorrow

For 20% of French victims, the cost of repairing the damage exceeded €10.000.

These costs, regardless of the amount, are most often covered by insurance: 67% of disaster victims report having received compensation, of which only 28% received full compensation. However, concern about this aspect is paramount: nearly 1 in 2 disaster victims fear they will no longer be able to insure their home, or that their premiums will increase.

Adapting your home to protect against climatic hazards: little work, but the cost is considered high

Ultimately, despite significant awareness of the risk, few homeowners anticipate work to protect themselves from damage that could be caused by climatic hazards: only 20% have thought about it, of which only 13% have actually done so. This figure rises to 21% for those who have already suffered damage of this type.

And for good reason :

• 64% of French people believe that making their home more resistant to hazards was/would be expensive
• 82% of those who carried out the appropriate work considered that it was indeed expensive.

Top 5 most frequently considered or carried out work by owners, depending on climatic hazards

Knowledge to predict: are the French well informed?

Despite widespread awareness, climate risk remains a blind spot in housing choices

When choosing their current home, only 30% of homeowners considered whether or not it could be affected by climate hazards. The level of information provided on this subject does not appear to be adequate: 65% of homeowners received no information on the subject, while 15% received some, but not enough to feel well informed.

Nearly 4 out of 10 French people (38%) also believe that information and prevention systems for climate hazards are insufficient, and 9% consider them to be completely non-existent. The most obvious example of this is maps dedicated to climate hazards: 71% of French people are unaware of the existence of maps in their region/municipality.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.