would you buy a house in a flood risk designation area?

[belcantavinissima]

if it was your dream house? or is it never ever worth the risk?

nope
I asked this question a hile back and most people said no. and you won't get insurance anyway so bank prob won't lend.

Depends exactly what the 'flood risk designation' is. Is this from the Environment Agency's website? If so check the category (ie likelihood), and even then check again locally.

We lived in our old house with no problems at all, even in the wettest years. When we came to sell various buyers started asking us about flooding. "What flooding?" we asked incredulous. Apparently the lovely EA had just designated our side of the street as being right on the edge of a 1 in 100 year flood risk contour. We contacted the EA and pointed out that:

1. nowhere in our entire village (on the edge of the Fens) had been flooded in, oh, 500 years at least;
2. that our house was itself nearly 500 years old and showed no sign of ever having been washed away
3. that our house was 15ft above sea level in an essentially vast flat landscape miles from any river and 40+ miles from the sea, and therefore for it to flood the entire Fen drainage system would have to fail and the county of Cambridgeshire would have to be under water first

Environment Agency was unmoved and burbled about contours, probability and averages. And refused to modify their map.

So, I'd take anything that they say with a pinch of salt. Unless you're planning to buy in Tetbury of course.

As for insurance, check what insurance the existing home owners have. You should be able to reinsure the property with their company.

Just to say, you most certainly can get affordable house insurance in a flood risk area. Especially if the house itself has never flooded (even though half the village was flooded out in 2000). It didn't stop us selling either.

the problem that we have is that where we need to move to (for dp's job) the whole area is a flood risk (Hull)

We have looked at a couple of houses where the neighbours are still living in caravans!

Of course it is not ideal, but we may not have an option.

A couple of things you need to think about - you may not get a mortgage for a house in a flood risk area. You may also not be able to get insurance.

You also need to check that sensible flood plans are in place - waist high (or higher) plug sockets, laminate floors or removable carpets... things that minimise the damage if there is going to be any. Checking the placement of the air bricks is an idea as well - if they are high, the water won't come in that way, if they are at floor level, it will.

Hth.

Never never never. I have experienced flooding and it is horrendous.

Don't do it if you don't have to. My sister bought a house in Oxford about a year and a half ago - flood risk area but had never flooded in over 100years etc etc...all insurers happy. They'd just got it how they wanted it, then last summer happened. You can guess the rest.

She's still in rented accomodation, wrangling with the insurance company who aren't particularly helpful. With luck she may be back in by this summer, having lost a whole heap of stuff, peace of mind and at least half the value of the house.