What is a Flood Risk Report & How Does Flooding Affect Conveyancing?
A Flood Risk Report is a desk-study 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 historical data and advanced predictive modelling. The report gathers information from various official agencies and confirms if you will face any challenges when looking to insure your property.
The report is normally purchased by the buyer as part of the conveyancing process to inform them of the risks that flooding could have on their new home. Unlike the local authority and water and drainage searches, this is not mandatory unless explicitly flagged by your mortgage lender.
Where flooding is flagged, a buyer will immediately struggle if they require a mortgage. Under the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook, a buyer must have comprehensive buildings insurance in place before a lender will release the mortgage funds. If a property is uninsurable against flood risk, or if the premiums are astronomically high, the property effectively becomes unmortgageable.
In this article, we'll explain what is in a flood risk report, when a flood risk report shouldn't be used, how to find building insurers who protect high flood risk property, what Flood Re is and the flood trap many homeowners are stuck in.
Need further help? For more information on the different types of searches during the conveyancing process, including guides on what is the local authority search and drainage search, visit our comprehensive conveyancing guides for buyers and sellers.
- Insurance dependency: You must declare accurate flood risk data when applying for buildings insurance. Failing to do so invalidates your policy and leaves you personally liable for future damages.
- The mortgage trap: Under UK Finance rules, an uninsurable property is unmortgageable. If a high flood risk prevents you from securing affordable cover, your lender will refuse to release the funds.
- The 2009 Flood Re trap: Properties built after 1 January 2009 are completely excluded from the government-backed Flood Re scheme, leaving buyers of newer homes exposed to extortionate open-market premiums.
- Fast and affordable: A desk-based Flood Risk Report draws predictive data from the Environment Agency, costs £64 INC VAT, and is returned within just 2 working hours.
Should I get a flood report?
Mortgage lenders do not automatically require you to book a standalone flood risk report; it is not always included in their standard property searches, but it is highly recommended.
A buyer will normally find out whether the property, or any part of it, has ever flooded within the first few weeks after their offer is accepted. The seller completes the TA6 Property Information Form and must legally declare any past flooding and whether any flood defences have been installed. You will absolutely need to inform your building insurers if the property has flooded previously or is located in a high-risk flood area.
How does flooding affect your mortgage?
The inability to secure affordable flood insurance is quietly becoming a catastrophic issue for homeowners, primarily because it directly deprives them of access to the mortgage market. Where flooding is flagged, a buyer will immediately struggle to obtain a mortgage. Under the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook, a buyer must have comprehensive buildings insurance in place at exchange of contracts. If a property is uninsurable against flood risk, or if the premiums are astronomically high, the property effectively becomes unmortgageable.
When a home cannot be mortgaged, the vendor is restricted entirely to cash buyers. This instantly wipes out the vast majority of market demand and forces severe price depreciation, often knocking 20% to 30% off the property's capital value.
The Remortgaging "Prisoner" Trap
This crisis extends far beyond just buying and selling; it is actively creating a new generation of "mortgage prisoners". When an existing homeowner reaches the end of their fixed-term mortgage, they typically remortgage to a new lender to avoid punitive Standard Variable Rates (SVR).
However, the new lender will apply the exact same strict insurance requirements. If the property's flood risk has escalated and affordable cover cannot be sourced, the remortgage application will be rejected. Worse still, if a homeowner cannot afford the new, extortionate flood premiums, they are in fundamental breach of their existing mortgage terms. The lender then has the right to step in, force-place their own expensive insurance onto the borrower's debt, or in the worst-case scenario, call in the loan entirely.
Building Insurance Flood Risk
When applying for building insurance, you must provide accurate information about the property's flood risk. If you fail to declare historical flooding or a known high-risk status (even accidentally), and your home is subsequently flooded, your policy will likely be invalidated. This leaves you completely uninsured and personally liable for repair costs that can easily reach tens of thousands of pounds.
How the Flood Risk Report protects you:
- Accurate Disclosure: The report provides the exact JBA Floodability Rating used by over 85% of the insurance market, removing all guesswork from your application.
Are there specialist insurers for high-flood-risk properties?
For anyone buying or remortgaging in a flood-risk area, standard price comparison sites are completely unequipped to handle complex underwriting. Homeowners should look to the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) directories, which exist specifically to connect you with specialist providers who can underwrite your unique risk.
Expert Tip: The 2009 Flood Re Trap
Flood Re was introduced in April 2016 as a joint initiative between the Government and insurers to make flood cover in household insurance policies more affordable. However, it contains a significant trap: properties built after 1 January 2009 are entirely excluded.
This hard cut-off was deliberately designed to stop developers from building new housing estates on high-risk floodplains and using the government-backed scheme as a safety net. While it rightfully forces developer accountability, buyers who unknowingly purchase these post-2009 homes are left to the mercy of the open market, often discovering their new property is practically uninsurable.
CEO of SAM Conveyancing
What is the process for the buyer if there is a flood risk?
If a property is flagged for potential flooding, this is the conveyancing process a buyer must undertake to ensure the home is both insurable and mortgageable:
- Investigate the flood risk: Your solicitor will order a desktop Flood Risk Report to establish the exact risk level and JBA Floodability Rating. Concurrently, they will review the seller's TA6 Property Information Form, where the seller must legally declare any historical flooding or installed flood defences.
- Contact building insurers early: Because your lender will not release mortgage funds without comprehensive buildings insurance in place, you must test the market immediately. If standard price comparison sites decline cover, you will need to consult the BIBA and ABI directories to find specialist underwriters.
- Commission a physical Flood Risk Assessment: If the desktop report shows a severe risk, or if a lender's valuation surveyor spots physical signs of past flooding, specialist insurers may refuse to quote without a physical inspection. You will need to instruct an environmental surveyor (which can cost upwards of £850 + VAT) to assess the structural risk or certify the seller's flood defences.
- Renegotiate or withdraw: If affordable insurance cannot be sourced even after a physical assessment, the property effectively becomes unmortgageable. At this stage, you must decide whether to renegotiate the purchase price downwards (if you are a cash buyer) or withdraw from the transaction entirely to protect your deposit.
Expert Tip: Use the FREE Government flood rIsk tool
You can check the long-term flood risk for an area in England for free here:
CEO of SAM Conveyancing
What is in a Flood Risk Report?
A comprehensive report assesses multiple sources of potential flooding to give your property an overarching Professional Opinion (graded as a Pass, Pass with Considerations, or Further Action).
Section | What is included |
|---|---|
| River and Sea Flood Risk | Data provided by the Environment Agency indicates the risk of flooding to the property and its building footprint from nearby rivers or the sea. |
| Surface Water Flood Risk | Assesses the risk of surface water flooding, which occurs when heavy rainfall overwhelms the local drainage capacity and rainwater lies on or flows over the ground instead of draining away. |
| Groundwater Flooding | Using JBA Risk Management data, this assesses the annual probability that peak groundwater levels reach within 5 metres of the ground surface, potentially causing flooding of subsurface assets. |
| Surface Water Features | Checks Ordnance Survey Maps to see if the property is located within 250 metres of a body of surface water, such as a stream, river, canal, reservoir, lake, or pond. |
| Insurance Considerations | Provides a JBA Floodability Rating (colour-coded from Green/No Colour up to Black 2) to indicate the insurance market's probable interpretation of flood risk at the property. Higher ratings identify if a property is a potential candidate for the Flood Re insurance scheme. |
| Historic Flooding | Data provided by the Environment Agency indicates if the property is in, or within 250 metres of, an area that has flooded in the past. |
| Flood Storage | Data provided by the Environment Agency indicates whether the property is located within 25 metres of a Flood Storage Area (land specifically designed and operated to store floodwater). |
| Dam Break | Identifies areas most likely to suffer damage following the sudden and catastrophic failure of a large reservoir embankment or dam. |
How much does a flood risk report cost?
Flood Risk Reports cost £64 INC VAT and normally take just 2 working hours to be emailed directly to you.
Get a Flood Risk Report
Download a Flood Risk Report for £64 INC VAT | Report emailed within 2 working hours | Report includes:
- River, sea, surface & ground water.
- Historic flooding.
- Flood storage and dam breaks.
- Home insurance issues.
Does a surveyor attend the property?
No. The initial Flood Risk Report is a desktop assessment, meaning no one attends the property to conduct a physical inspection of the flooding risk. Instead, report providers use highly accurate historical data and high-resolution flood hazard maps to determine the risk level.
However, if the desktop report flags a high risk, or if a lender's valuation surveyor spots physical signs of past flooding, the situation changes. Mainstream insurers and specialist underwriters will frequently demand a physical Flood Risk Assessment. This forces the buyer to pay upwards of £850 + VAT out of their own pocket for a specialist environmental surveyor, either to assess the structural risk or to legally certify that the seller's flood defences are adequate.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 self-published author of the first-time buyer 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.
Amanda Ambler is a highly accomplished conveyancing specialist with over 15 years of dedicated experience across residential property law, legal compliance, and practice management. Having held senior roles, including Head of Legal Practice and Head of Conveyancing at established UK law firms, Amanda possesses a profound, hands-on understanding of the technical intricacies of the property market.
As the designated Legal Content Reviewer for SAM Conveyancing, Amanda ensures that every guide, legal update, and resource published meets the absolute highest standards of accuracy, regulatory compliance, and factual integrity. Her rigorous review process guarantees that complex property legislation and industry processes are communicated clearly, transparently, and safely for home buyers and sellers alike.
