As has been seen over recent weeks, flooding is a very real concern and a risk that affects a large number of properties all round the country. Although flood risk may not be one of the primary factors affecting you choice of new home it is certainly something for your surveyor to consider.

All good surveys should include an assessment of flood risk. This should use similar information as the risk assessment in your Environmental Searches but your surveyor should also be using their local knowledge. For example where the surveyor knows there has been a recent improvement in the local flood defences but the flood risk maps has not yet been updated to represent this then the surveyor can give you some really good information.

The great benefit to opting for a higher-level survey, such as one of our Building Surveys, is that if you already know there is a high flood risk, or there has been flooding in the area, you can ask your surveyor to give some advice on flood resilience.

Whilst there should always be an expectation that the government will provide for flood defences this is clearly not something we should always rely upon. Homeowners in high flood risk areas should also consider how they can protect themselves from flooding.

Your surveyor can look at the options available to you, from simple measures such as the use of hard floor coverings to more involved options, such as pumping systems.

One of the major considerations when buying a house in a flood risk area is whether you will be able to obtain buildings insurance and what level of cover is available. Although it is not yet common practice for insurance companies to take account of flood resilience measures it is definitely something the industry is moving towards. In the long term this might give a good level of savings to those homeowners who have taken appropriate precautions. In the meantime homeowners should be considering their options and when better to find out your options then before you have purchased your home? You will have a qualified and experienced surveyor visiting the property so take advantage and get all the information you can. Hopefully it will help protect you from the “once in a lifetime” flood events that seem to happen all too often!

To book a Building Survey including an assessment of flood risk, or for more information, click here.