Discussion
I have just looked at a house where the environment agency search via the Land Registry suggests a 75 year risk of flooding (so called 'significant risk') and although I know that only relates to the area not the specific house it was enough to put the willies up me. Next day my neighbour told me his son is thinking of backing out of a purchase because the house they are looking at flooded in 2007, when during the infamous summer downpour in Yorkshire the local brook came visiting for a few hours. The council cleared the brook of trees and debris and improved the flow, and the neighbour's son is looking at putting in simple flood defences such as a flood barier across the doors if he does buy.
If the environment agency search said the house was not in a flood risk area or even locale as is the case with the neighbour's son, but the house had been flooded, would you buy? I ask because I was flooded in 2007 during the same storm when a drain above my property became blocked and diverted the surface water through my kitchen. I would have to honestly answer the question 'have you been subject to flooding' with 'Yes' but I was wondring how sensitive buyers are to previous flooding when the searches are saying the risk is low ?
If the environment agency search said the house was not in a flood risk area or even locale as is the case with the neighbour's son, but the house had been flooded, would you buy? I ask because I was flooded in 2007 during the same storm when a drain above my property became blocked and diverted the surface water through my kitchen. I would have to honestly answer the question 'have you been subject to flooding' with 'Yes' but I was wondring how sensitive buyers are to previous flooding when the searches are saying the risk is low ?
The EA flood maps are done from Whitehall by a chimpanzee possessed of a blue crayon. They are hopelessly inaccuarate and take little if any account of topology or actual site conditions.
When we moved here, we had to have a flood survey done and the report came back showing the house was a complete flood risk for both "normal floods", "100 year event" and "1000 year event". Attached to the flood report was a further one from the British Geological survey stating that there was absolutely no evidence of major flooding in the last 1000+ years. Nor did the house flood in 2007 or even come within a million miles of doing so.
However, becase of the EA maps, the flood survey stated our house was total risk and thus "uninsurable". Our insurers laughed. A lot. Very loudly.
The nearest "river" is a small brook which is approximately 250m away from the house at its nearest point. Oh, and the small matter of about 30m below us.
The house is on a hill ffs. 90% of the county would be underwater before it got anywhere near our driveway, let alone up to the house.
So, pay no heed to the EA maps, and nor should you use them as evidence that a place won't flood either. Do your own research, and then decide if the risk is tolerable and whether your insurance will be likewise digestible or punitively expensive.
When we moved here, we had to have a flood survey done and the report came back showing the house was a complete flood risk for both "normal floods", "100 year event" and "1000 year event". Attached to the flood report was a further one from the British Geological survey stating that there was absolutely no evidence of major flooding in the last 1000+ years. Nor did the house flood in 2007 or even come within a million miles of doing so.
However, becase of the EA maps, the flood survey stated our house was total risk and thus "uninsurable". Our insurers laughed. A lot. Very loudly.
The nearest "river" is a small brook which is approximately 250m away from the house at its nearest point. Oh, and the small matter of about 30m below us.
The house is on a hill ffs. 90% of the county would be underwater before it got anywhere near our driveway, let alone up to the house.
So, pay no heed to the EA maps, and nor should you use them as evidence that a place won't flood either. Do your own research, and then decide if the risk is tolerable and whether your insurance will be likewise digestible or punitively expensive.
king sea! Imbeciles.RedLeicester said:
The EA flood maps are done from Whitehall by a chimpanzee possessed of a blue crayon. They are hopelessly inaccuarate and take little if any account of topology or actual site conditions.
This. Except that it's probably an unwarranted insult to chimpanzees.As suggested, local knowledge is your best bet (ask the local old folks if they ever remember the property flooding and, if so, how bad it was), but convincing your insurance company might be more difficuly.
The one word of caution, though, is that '1 in 75 year' flood events are happening surprisingly often, these days.
We design to 1 in 100 years plus 30% allowance for climate change, and it is possible that even this will prove optimistic... not only are storm events seemingly becoming extreme, but as the country progressively goes to the dogs, maintenance of watercourses is gradually deteriorating, meaning that the water backs up further in a flood event because channels have been allowed to silt up nad become obstructed by debris and vegetation, preventing the water from flowing away so quickly.
In other words, just because it has only flooded infrequently or to a moderate level in the past, don't necessarily expect to be so lucky in the future.
After we were flooded in 2007 I paid the fee to have an individual assessment done and they sent the money back saying it was a waste of money as it was nowhere near a water source, but tell any insurance company bar a few of the more sensible/expensive ones that you had a £20K flood claim (which I call a water incursion BTW, it was a drain not a water sorce) and they runa a mile.
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