How Insurers and Property Owners Are Using Data to Address Deferred Maintenance Risks

Deferred maintenance remains a growing exposure for insurers and property owners, with public buildings alone facing nearly $100 billion in backlogged repairs, according to estimates cited by Pew. For claims professionals, these gaps often surface after catastrophes or equipment failures, when minor issues escalate into large losses and complex claims.

The Triple-I Blog highlights HelixIntel, a digital maintenance management platform designed to connect property owners and insurers around shared risk data. By capturing real-time information on asset condition and maintenance activity, the platform aims to shift maintenance from a reactive expense to a preventive risk control tool. For adjusters, this type of documentation can influence loss causation analysis, subrogation potential, and post-loss mitigation discussions.

HelixIntel’s partnership model relies on insurers distributing the technology to policyholders. One example is its collaboration with Hartford Steam Boiler to support insureds with equipment breakdown coverage. These insurer-backed deployments lower adoption barriers for policyholders while giving carriers deeper insight into asset health and maintenance practices, which can ultimately reduce claim frequency and severity.

Executives from the Insurance Information Institute emphasize that this approach aligns with a broader industry shift from loss detection to loss prevention. For claims departments, improved maintenance tracking can mean fewer surprise failures, clearer maintenance histories during investigations, and stronger alignment between underwriting, risk engineering, and claims handling. Over time, standardized maintenance data may also support better catastrophe preparedness and more resilient insured communities.