Purchasing a new home - know your flood risks
If you are considering purchasing a new home always make sure you fully understand the potential flood risk and available insurance before you make any decision.
We are unable to offer specific advice on individual properties and we encourage you to contact the National Flood Forum. This is a charity giving independent advice to individuals on flood risk to a property and getting flood risk insurance. Call the National Flood Forum on 01299 403055 or go to the National Flood Forum website.
Find out more about flood risk
The more you can find out about the flood risk to a property the better. You may find it useful to use the Environment Agency online flood map.
The map enables you to enter a property number or name and its postcode to see flood risk information for that area, including:
- the probability that a location will flood
- the possible causes of flooding
- where to find advice on managing flood risk
Please be aware that:
- the map is a general indicator of an area’s flood risk and as such, it is not suitable for identifying whether an individual property will flood
- the map does not include flood risk from groundwater or flooding caused by blocked drains and burst pipes however the surface water map can give you a good idea of where water will flow once it is above ground
- the map does not show the interaction between different sources of flooding, for example, the combined impacts of a river and coastal flood happening at the same time
- not all watercourses are shown on the map and we recommend you consider OS mapping, the Land Registry and any available local information for any watercourses near to your property
Get flood warnings on the go
The agency provides a Floodline, which is a free 24-hour advice and information service for floods and flood warnings on 0345 988 1188.
You can also register online to receive:
- weather warnings from the Met Office via email – this service will alert you whenever the Met office emits a weather warning for your area and is a free service
- alerts from the Environment Agency by phone, email or text – this service is applicable to anyone who lives near a main river and may be at risk of river flooding. You’ll be alerted whenever significant rainfall may be on the way