High flood risk - surface water

[Nimbus1999]

So turns out the property I intended to buy is in the middle of a high risk area for surface flood. Not a little bit of dark blue, we’re talking a lot! There is no history of flooding as far as I know but I worry about the future - the gov website is the long term risk of future flooding.

Its pretty urban so guessing the drains can’t cope.

I’d be mad to buy right? I can’t believe how many people are saying it will be fine! I don’t want to get stuck with a house I can’t sell because of flooding….

Anyone been in a similar boat?

You need detailed local knowledge. My old house was, on paper, a high flood risk. The local river regularly went over and flooded the roads. But our house was on higher ground, and never flooded. We were cut off a few times, but the house was never affected. On the government map, we were smack in the middle of the dark blue bit.

Hi - I've been a conveyancing solicitor for 25 years. I would say maybe 5 % of the properties that I come across have a similar result and I have never had anyone not buy because of it. This is mostly London and the same with my team so we are prob talking 30 or 40 properties a year. I think in the future more people will start to take this risk a bit more seriously, probably when people start to struggle to get decent buildings insurance.

Just had a look at the search done on our property for flood risk. Some blue areas show up on the map, one of which does flood - but that has a fast moving stream running through it and is in a dip (no properties built there). We'e lived in the area 25 years and to the best of my knowledge none of the other areas have flooded to the extent it's got into properties - this is an area affected by the 2007 rains and flood damage to our water supply (we had a deluge of water running to lower levels).

It seems like it’s only going to get worse with climate change and more severe weather. The property is at the bottom of a hill so not on higher ground. I read that 3% risk for year equates to a 63% chance of flooding over a 30 year period. I’m not sure it’s worth taking the risk! Even though I seem to be in the minority!

I wouldn't buy it. surface water flooding is likely to get worse as we get more intense downpour type of rainfall with climate change.

I wouldn’t buy it. Insurance will be difficult to get and expensive, and the flood risk will get worse, not better.

Mine was high risk surface water flooding - it was I the 1950s it last flooded ! I bought the house . Insurance was not an issue

If the hill is fairly steep/long it could be at risk from flash flooding, which we've had in the upper part of our area (we live at the bottom of the highest point in the Cotswold Hills - about 1.5km away - 25% gradient for half of it). Luckily by the time the waters reach us some it's dispersed various ways down to another village or our stream. Luckily the village is on a very minor slope, so waters drain away, which was a great help during the 2007 floods as roads became rivers and avoided properties.

As I said in my last post, I don't believe properties in blue which I mentioned in my last post have flooded, however, where the minor slope levels out about another 1.5km, there can be a lot of sitting water.

One thing that might be worth doing is phoning your insurance company to check how much insurance would be and if they consider it's a major issue. Either way, make sure you're fully insured for flood of any sort.

Your update that the property is at the bottom of the hill clinches it for me - I would walk away.
Yes, insurance may be a problem, but honestly the bigger issue is dealing with the mess and loss of a flooded house. It’s miserable. So 63% in 30 years of owning, seems high to me.

I paid for a flood report and it’s come back as “significant” and looking at the map, there is a small patch of red which is significant risk.

I would phone a couple of insurance companies and get quotes. Just because there's a risk, doesn't mean it will actually happen. And should the worst happen, it would be awful, but decent insurance should shoulder the cost burden.

Surely “significant risk” is a real worry. I know insurance will cover it but I’m just thinking about the upheaval and awfulness of being flooded

I agree with you. Climate change is likely to make the problem worse over time and it may prove problematic to sell when you want to. I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking on the risk. There will be another nice property that isn’t on a flood plain and I would be looking elsewhere.

You’re being sensible in my opinion.

@Nimbus1999 as someone who has been surface water flooded I wouldn’t buy it. We’ve managed to do work to the property and surrounding land which has significantly improved it but honestly if I’d known that this was going to happen I wouldn’t have bought the property. It’s our forever home and we are happy here now but it was the most stressful and horrible time of my life.

now I’d only buy on top of a hill 😂

My husband loved that our house was on the top of a hill when we bought it, he’s very aware of climate issues & flooding concerns.

I’m not so happy when I have to trudge up it with shopping, it’s very steep! Never have to worry about flooding though 😂

I wouldn’t personally. Climate change is accelerating, flooding is going to get worse and the stress of wondering if this might be it, every time it rained would mean I'd never be able to relax.

I have friends who have been flooded. The cost, time, stress and disruption of dealing with it, s much greater than if they had waited and paid more for a house that wasnt in a flood zone.

Also people who already own houses in flood zones often say 'it's fine, it never happened to me' but a) climate change means change, so what happened in the past is not a good indication of will happen in the future and b) they have a vested interest, conscious or otherwise, in saying this If people stop buying houses in flood zones, then they're left with an unsaleable asset.

I’ve told them I’m not buying it. Everyone thinks I’m mad! I’m absolutely gutted (small budget, single parent with 4 children) but hopefully it’s the right decision.

Back to the drawing board.

Ignore what others say, it's what's right for you - things go wrong with properties but you don't want to live with the risk of flooding and all that involves.

Before my sale fell through a couple of weeks ago, I was buying a house literally on the sea front and for some reason my solicitor sent me the flood report and said it was at risk of flooding. The property has not flooded in the ownership since the 60's.

Flood reports are something to look at pragmatically sometimes.

My issue is although it hasn’t flooded in the past, that’s not to say it won’t in the future especially with more obscure weather. The maps are produced from information provided by the council, so they must have said something to raise concerns for the future…. Perhaps drains are inadequate to deal with the area, who knows. I just don’t think it’s pie in the sky type stuff, there must be a reason why they’re saying the property has a significant chance of flooding….

There is a Brook less than 500m, not sure if that’s anything to do with it.

@Nimbus1999 the flood maps will have been produced from modelling.

I personally think you've done the right thing, if for no other reason than the anxiety it would have caused you every time there was heavy rainfall. You need to feel safe and happy in your own home. Good luck with your search

I would have done the same thing. That doesn't mean it is the right thing but we all have our own attitudes to risks and I know it would have been a niggling worry for as long as I lived there. We live in a flat county but we have (intentionally) bought a house up a rare hill. The bonus is the enforced exercise walking home from work or town.

The property has been sold again already so obviously not everyone minds! I wonder if it is because of the hill situation, water may run down the hill and then pool at the bottom close to the house. Who knows! I’m happy with my decision and fingers crossed I find something else soon.

You've made the right decision. I had an old boss who had to race home whenever it rained heavily. Massively stressed her out. Having been flooded out due to a burst pipe (clean water) I wouldn't want the stress and hassle of dirty flood water as well.