House in Flood Zone 3

BumWad

Bear with me I am knew to the forum!

We have had our flood search back which has shown that the house we want to buy is in a flood zone 3! :eek:

There is a small brook running through the back garden from another very prominent brook. Phoned EA who say that the reason we are 'zone 3' is because of the brook 150m not the one in the back yard.

On further research it appears that flood defences are in place and the report does say that there is no record of any flooding to the property or adjoining property and no record of previous insurance claims due to flooding. The house is 110 years old and bloody gorgeous. Have phoned estate agent who has confirmed via vendors who put their hand on their heart and say it has never flooded.

DH is very blas! about it all, he loves the house and that is that, but the word FLOOD freaks me out!! He thinks there isn't a 'risk' even though I keep pointing out that the Environmental Agency say it is actually a zone 3 and a MEDIUM risk of flooding.

Solicitor says there are no more searches to be done, only on the property for amendments or defences we would like to carry out. Have done quite a few insurance quotes and apart from Aviva they are all very reasonable including stating that there is nearby water.

On another note as well the house wasn't cheap and had been on the market for over a year before we made an offer, had only had 5 viewings prior to that! Now I know why...(?)

Not quite sure why I'm posting this...Thoughts please? Run a mile or go for it? Why is it in a flood zone 3, with a medium risk of flooding but has no history of flooding (since records began). And insurance is ok too???

jaylee3

I'd probably drop out. But that's because I live in an area that has LOTS of flooding. We are on top of a hill, so never get flooded, but many people I know have.

No history of flooding though in 110 years? Why is it a 'medium' risk then?

tigsly

our old house -w as in a 'low' risk of flooding - we got leaflets dropped through the door - and a road near us closed.. they were 'pumping to save the water station.. else i think we woudl have flooded...

For me - the threat of 'more flooding in the future'.. was antoher cross against staying were we were.. but my OH was blasee too..

You have to follow your gut (Mine woudl pull out..)

BumWad

Exactly why is it medium risk and zone 3 if never flooded?? The report does say that there is NO history of flooding. Quite confusing!

There was a reservoir at the back which has now been drained however EA say it's nothing to do with the reservoir but the brooks.

AdrianC

A quick look at the brook should show what the likelihood of flooding from it is. If the water's not far below the surrounding land, and the land is pretty flat - then that's going to be a much higher risk than if the land rises steeply away from the water. We've got two brooks within less than 150m of our house - but there's probably 10m of vertical separation.

[Deleted User]

In 2000 the house we owned flooded. As it was a bungalow we lost pretty much everything. We were left with two cats and two cars and not much else.

We had only bought the property 18 months previously and it was classed as a zero flood risk. At the height of the flood our house was marooned, it was like being in an ark (only with water inside as well as outside). We had quite a bit of land that sloped away from the house. At the bottom of the garden the water was about 25 foot deep and even covered trees.

I would not buy the house as it is just not worth the risk.

Davesnave

We are not able to see the site, but if there has been no history of flooding in 110 years, then the risk may be related to the possibility of one-off extreme events, like what happened at Boscastle. If there is a stream nearby, then in extreme circumstances, water will find its way there by the alternative routes, which won't be the normal ones, if they can't handle the flow.

In Boscastle, many property owners thought that their flood risk was small or negligible. Indeed, they may never see another comparable event in their lifetimes. These weren't the people whose houses were on the news, with the river running through them, but others who just happened to live beside roads and drains which couldn't handle the sudden rush of water.

There are hundreds of thousands of houses like theirs in the UK.

Rare event surface water flooding is much harder to assess than the likelihood of a stream rising x feet, but it's possible to plan for it. Most people don't, so end up in news bulletins. Perhaps that's unfair, but rare and extreme climate events are on the increase, so a vast number of properties may need their flood susceptibility re-assessed.

For many, the attractions of a particular location/house will outweigh the potential risks, whether it's from flooding, a lorry crashing into it, or the thatch catching fire. Others are very risk averse. You'll meet both kinds of people on MSE!

Campervanman

I had a house which when I bought it had zero flood risk but it was near a river. Then the flood risk was uprated, then we started getting things through the door asking us to be on a flood line that notified you when flood warnings went from green to amber etc. Finally one Boxing Day we were woken at 3 am by the Police and told we should move pets and valuables upstairs as the river was likely to flood. As it happens it didnt (got damn close) but the stress and worry was there every winter. If it floods you will loose possessions and have almost a year of disruption. The value and saleability of house will suffer. By hey, Im risk averse and other folks aren't.:)

BumWad

Thank you for your varied replies.

It really is a conundrum. We are planning on staying in this house until retirement (we are early 30s) so the decision we make in the next week or so will be with us forever what ever it is!

Unfortunately I can't post a link to the map as I am a new member.

Has anybody ever negotiated a sale price with the vendor after searches have been done? We got an ok discount on the house anyway, and the vendors accepted our offer on the premise of no negotiation after survey. But this is a search right? I'm thinking if we got a discount of approx £5K then this would allow us to purchase flood defence doors, covers for air bricks, one way valves for the sink drains etc if we decide to proceed. House had been up for sale over a year with 5 viewers and only one offer from us!

I've also noticed on the EA website that states that the flood zone 3 is without the consideration of defences. There is a defence exactly where the house is.

Am I justifying this to myself?

CH27

Personally I couldn't live with the fear of flooding every winter. I'd want to have peace of mind in my home.

00ec25

I live in a zone 3 (near R Thames)
I get the environment agency flood alert phone calls
in the 25 years I have lived in it, neither my house or garden has ever flooded,
my next door neighbours garden has flooded and the end of the street has been made impassable

am I worried - NO
I have barriers I put across the doors when I get the alert call which is usually sent far to easily and rarely does it happen because everyone is scared of getting it wrong
I have a different view of flood risk to you - it will not come into my house in my lifetime

if you are stressed by a theoretical chance over a place you haven't bought yet then don't buy because it is clear you will not cope with living there