Buying a new home? Eight ways to check your flood risk
23 June, 2021
530,000 properties in England face a more extreme risk of flooding than official maps suggest, according to Zurich UK. In this article we discuss different ways to check your flood risk when buying a new home.
- If the Environment Agency’s flood maps indicate a flood risk make sure you check other local sources such as the flood planning maps. It’s important you check the risks from all sources of flooding including from rivers and sea, as well as the risk from surface water flooding.
- Gather information from the estate agent and seller. Find out if they are aware of any history of flooding at the property or immediate area. Sellers have a duty to disclose if they are aware of any previous floods that have affected the property.
- Speak to local residents and neighbours to find out if they have been hit by any flooding in the past. It is often not obvious that areas can be at risk of flooding on an initial inspection so care needs to be taken when looking at the flood risk.
- If you go ahead with a purchase, check your conveyancing solicitor is doing a search on whether the property is at risk of flooding as part of the Environmental Data Search. They should ensure that they are using a search that pinpoints the risk at the specific property and not just the postcode or general area.
- If the searches highlight a risk of flooding then additional steps should be taken to understand the potential flood depth and whether there are adequate precautions installed to prevent damage to the property. In some cases, a survey by a competent flood consultant will be needed.
- Your mortgage lender will likely require you to have buildings insurance from exchange, so it’s a good idea to obtain an insurance quote at the beginning of the buying process as this may flag up any risk.
- If you discover the property has experienced flooding in the past, it’s can be worth checking if it is now protected by a local or public Flood Defence Scheme which may have reduced the risk.
- Just because a property is in a flood-prone area, doesn’t mean you can’t live in it. There are a number of steps you can take to make your property more flood resilient. These include tiled floors, non-return sewage valves, resilient plasterboard and raised electric sockets. More independent information on flood protection measures can be found here: https://www.floodguidance.co.uk/
Guide to flood risk
| Which zone is your property located in? | Chance of flooding over a 30 year period | Overall risk level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in 1,000 or less | 3% | Very low risk |
| 1 in 500 | 6% | It is not likely that flooding will happen, but the impact will still depend upon the flood depth. |
| 1 in 200 | 14% | Building vulnerable to severe weather events but flood impact always dependent upon the flood depth |
| 1 in 100 | 26% | Flooding considered likely in the longer term. Understand the flood depth when considering the action needed. |
Table with percentage chance of flooding across different timeframes is available on request
Environment Agency Flood Map vs Government Flood Planning Map
The Environment Agency have their own definition of flood risk which is different to both the legal definition provided within the Flood Risk Regulations 2009 and those used in government flood planning maps.
| Flood definition | Environment Agency Long Term Flood Map | Government Flood Planning Map | Flood Risk Regulations 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than a 1 in 1000 annual flood event | Very Low Risk | Zone 1 Low Probability | Low Probability |
| Between a 1 in 1000 and 1 in 100 annual flood event | Low Risk | Zone 2 Medium Probability | Medium Probability |
| Between a 1 in 100 and 1 in 30 annual flood event | Medium Risk | Zone 3a High Probability | High Probability |
| Greater than 1 in 30 annual flood event | High Risk | Zone 3b Functional floodplain | n/a |
Note: the Government flood planning map definitions for river and sea flooding are different to tidal flooding. Please see the flood planning map for the full definitions.
Sign up to our newsletter
Featured articles
More articles you might be interested in
Risk insights
Unmasking PFAS: What businesses need to know about “forever chemicals”
17 November, 2025
