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Flood insurance reforms, housing market dynamics, and adaptation to climate risks

Author

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  • Hennighausen, Hannah
  • Liao, Yanjun
  • Nolte, Christoph
  • Pollack, Adam

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of two nationwide reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program on both flood insurance and property markets. The 2012 and 2014 reforms aimed to phase out subsidies on flood insurance premiums. Using a difference-in-differences framework comparing treated and similar but untreated properties, we find that the reforms led to a 14.3% relative increase in the price of flood insurance, an 8.2% decrease in insurance demand, a 4.2% decrease in property prices and a 2.3% decrease in property transaction volumes. As flood risk continues to accelerate across the United States, properly pricing insurance premiums can effectively discourage households from living in risky areas, but may involve potential trade-offs such as the unintended outcome of a large drop-off in insurance coverage.

Suggested Citation

  • Hennighausen, Hannah & Liao, Yanjun & Nolte, Christoph & Pollack, Adam, 2023. "Flood insurance reforms, housing market dynamics, and adaptation to climate risks," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhouse:v:62:y:2023:i:c:s1051137723000402
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhe.2023.101953
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    1. Zabel, Jeffrey & Phaneuf, Daniel J. & Krause, Andy, 2023. "Introduction to the Special Issue Property Value Analysis using ZTRAX: Applications under the Approaching Sunset," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Flood insurance; Real estate markets; Policy reform;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets
    • G52 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Insurance

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