How To Find Flood History of a Property
When you’re in the market for a new home, the last thing you want to envision is a ground floor inundated with floodwater. It’s a significant concern for any prospective property buyer (especially when around 6.3 million properties across England have been flagged as at risk of flooding).
Understanding how to find flood history of a property is increasingly considered as more than just a recommendation. These reports have become part and parcel of the due diligence process when buying property. It tells you if a property has ever encountered flooding, whether that’s from river water, surface water, or sea water.
However, tracking down an accurate property flood history report is not as straightforward as you might think, but this guide will point you in the right direction.
How to find out the flood risk of a property?
It’s important to distinguish between flood risk and flood history. Risk refers to a statistical probability of future events based on computer modelling. History, by contrast, is a factual record of what has occurred on the land previously.
To assess current risk levels, the government provides a long-term flood risk service. By entering a postcode, you can view the likelihood of flooding from the sea, rivers, and surface water. While this is a useful starting point, it may not detail specific historical incidents at a particular address.
To truly find out the flood history of a property, you need to examine recorded flood outlines. These represent the physical footprint of previous flooding events.
Another valuable resource is the local council’s Strategic Flood Risk Assessment. This document often contains detailed information on local drainage problems that might not appear on national maps.
Who is the best source for information regarding a property’s flood history?
The Environment Agency is the primary authority for these records in England. They maintain extensive data on historical water movements. You can request a formal flood history report for a specific location by contacting them directly. These requests are typically handled within 20 working days.
However, flood history check specialists, such as Ashfield Solutions, can turn around these reports much faster, often within seven days (sometimes in as little as three days). Their reports can also provide clear next actions, if anything should anything crop up in the search.
Other go-to sources for property flood history include:
- Sellers: Sellers are legally obligated to disclose known flooding issues on the TA6 Property Information Form. Providing false information can lead to serious legal consequences (so, you shouldn’t need to worry about known flood history being hidden from you if you’re buying a property).
- Local residents: Neighbours often have first-hand knowledge of how the street or area handles heavy rainfall, and whether flooding has occurred recently or in their lifetimes.
- Local news archives: Searching for a street name alongside terms like flooding can uncover reports that official data sets might have omitted.
This is a fair bit of research to handle yourself. The good news is that a specialist can do all the research on your behalf.
How to do a flood search?
During a property transaction, a solicitor or conveyancer will typically order an Environmental Search. This report covers various factors, including contaminated land and flood data.
However, standard searches can sometimes be quite general. If there are specific concerns, you should consider a dedicated flood history check. This is a more intensive analysis that looks at historical data, local insurance trends, and the specific topography of the site. Skipping this step to save a small fee can lead to difficulties securing insurance later on.
How accurate are flood risk maps?
While flood maps are highly useful, they are not infallible. Most are generated using Lidar laser mapping and computer simulations. They may not account for hyper-local issues, such as a blocked culvert or a neighbour’s new wall that redirects runoff into your garden.
Surface water flooding is particularly difficult to predict because it depends heavily on local ground levels and pavement runoff. Even if a map indicates a low risk, a sudden heavy downpour can have a different impact in reality. For this reason, maps should be used as a guide rather than a definitive guarantee.
How can Ashfield help you?
Ashfield provides the expert context that automated or generic reports often overlook. Whether you are evaluating a potential purchase or aiming to make your current home more resilient to climate change, we offer the necessary technical support.
We provide comprehensive flood history check services that show much more than basic postcode data. Unlike traditional consultant reports that can take four to six weeks, we offer a quick turnaround, typically delivering a full property flood review within three working days.
Our database uses a broader range of data than standard providers, incorporating national and local flood records, council databases, and anecdotal evidence alongside historical photographic records.
This intensive data search provides the depth needed to potentially downgrade a perceived risk and satisfy mortgage lenders or insurers. We’re here to ensure you are fully informed before making a commitment.
Enquire with the team today about getting your detailed flood history check.
