What is a Flood Risk Report?
- If you want to get home insurance, you will need to let the insurer know if your property has a high flood risk.
- A flood risk search is based on historical data from the Environment Agency and the Natural Resources Wales. You can read an example report below.
- The Flood Risk Report costs £64 INC VAT** and its turnaround time is 2 working hours*.
What is a flood risk report?
A Flood Risk Report is an assessment of how likely it is that the property you intend to purchase will suffer from flooding at some point in the future, based on floods from the past.
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How do I get the right flood risk report for my property?
You can order the following search report:- 1
The Flood Risk Report isn't based on a physical inspection but on historical data from the Environment Agency and the Natural Resources Wales agency which report providers use.
Are you a cash buyer, who wants to check if your property is at risk? Get an overall flood risk assessment and check the:
- River, sea, surface & ground water.
- Historic flooding.
- Flood storage and dam breaks.
Should I get a flood report?
Mortgage Lenders do not normally require you to book a flood risk report - it is not among their stipulated property searches - but you will need to inform your Building Insurers if the property has flooded or is in a high-risk flood area.Building Insurance flood risk
If you fail to inform your building insurer and your home is flooded, you may be at risk of not being insured for losses due to flooding.What is in a Flood Risk Report?
Section | What's included |
River and Sea Flood Risk | The JBA Floodability index considers river, coastal, surface water and chalk aquifer groundwater elements, the risk of flooding at the location so is likely to be less than that reported by the Environment Agency. |
Surface Water Flood Risk | Surface water flooding occurs when heavy rainfall overwhelms the drainage capacity of an area. In these instances, the rainwater does not drain away through the normal drainage systems or soak into the ground, but lies on or flows over the ground instead. |
Groundwater Flooding | The result of the flood risk assessment in this report is based on the best available national flood models using the best available data sources, from the leading authorities, no site visit will be made. |
Lawful Development Certificates | JBA Floodability data is derived from their high-resolution UK flood hazard maps, used by most insurers when assessing flood risk. Where a higher rating is indicated further investigation into flood risk is usually advisable. For locations rating Black 1 (High) and Black 2 (Very High) there is more likely to be a correlation between JBA Floodability and a residential property being included within Flood Re by a participating insurer. However, please note that not all residential properties are eligible to benefit from Flood Re. Please always check that your building insurance policy covers Flood Damage, as the terms of any mortgage (if required) may require all risks to be covered to meet the lender's requirements. |
Historic Flooding | Data provided by the Environment Agency will indicate if the property is within 250 metres of an area that has flooded in the past. This includes all types of flooding, including Groundwater. |
Flood Storage | Data provided by the Environment Agency will indicate if the property is located within 25 metres of a Flood Storage Area (land designed and operated to store flood water). |
Dam Break | Data provided by JBA identifies areas of England and Wales that are most likely to suffer damage to property following the sudden and catastrophic failure of a large reservoir embankment or dam. This is a worst-case scenario, it’s unlikely that any actual flood would be this large. The flooding is predicted using advanced modelling techniques to ascertain if a property or site is potentially at risk in such an event, although not all dams were modelled. |
How much does a flood risk report cost?
Flood Risk Reports cost £64 INC VAT** and normally take 2 working hours* to be emailed through to you.
Andrew Boast FMAAT is a qualified accountant, conveyancing specialist and author with over 25 years of experience in the UK property sector. Since beginning his career in 2000 within established SRA and CLC-regulated conveyancing solicitor firms, Andrew has overseen the legal journeys of more than 75,000 clients.
He is the author of the property guide 'How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone' and a frequent contributor to mainstream UK media on legislative updates, property law, first-time buyer guides, conveyancing best practices, and stamp duty changes. Andrew specialises in resolving complex title issues, property conflict disputes, and property tax options, streamlining the enquiry process to reduce transaction times and maintaining a client-friendly focus.
Caragh Bailey is a Lead Property Content Specialist at SAM Conveyancing, having joined the firm in 2020. With a portfolio of over 150 technical conveyancing, house survey and mortgage guides, she has become a primary authority on the end-to-end sale and purchase process.
Caragh specialises in complex legal workflows, including Help to Buy redemptions, equity transfers, shared ownership structures, trust deeds for tax planning, and joint ownership disputes. Her expertise extends to leasehold reform and RICS home surveys, where she provides clear, factual guidance on independent legal advice for specialist mortgage products and intricate ownership structures.
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