House in Flood Zone 3

PasturesNew

How does it look when you go to the environment agency flood map and have a look around at what would be flooded before you etc?

Would you be marooned? Is more important stuff flooded first so all the rescue teams will already be out and active?

Sometimes seeing the bigger picture on the map shows you that it's really unlikely.

Also, just make sure you keep some things upstairs - e.g. certificates, paperwork and photos .... and any photos you have out on display, just take a photo of them "in case"......

You can also try registering for the flood texts .... if you do that they might say "we don't do texts here", which means they think it's safe.
https://fwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/app/olr/home - all you do is click to register, choose a home, type in the postcode and door number and if it says "Sorry, our service does not provide warnings for this address." then that's an indicator of some sort.

chrisw

Flood zone 3 is actually HIGH risk of flooding, zone 2 is medium risk. However, the EA maps ignore any defences as defences can fail. You may be able to get a letter from the EA to say that defences are in place so the actual risk may be lower, which might satisfy insurance companies, etc. However, you will face the same problem when you come to sell as a lot of people will be put off.

CWSmith

Thrugelmir wrote: »

When torrential rain is a localised event. Water will appear from places in the ground you would never thought imaginable. One day.........

.

How true that is!

We do not live in a flood risk area, we are nowhere near a river or any other water source, but twice over the past decade we have been flooded, not seriously luckily, and nearly flooded on many other occasions. The cause - surface water!

The common next to us floods and water pours into our garden at a phenomenal speed. This year was the worst ever - water got under the floorboards.

I'm not entirely sure any property is entirely safe from flooding in sustained wet weather conditions such as we had this winter.

pipster1969

Thrugelmir wrote: »

When torrential rain is a localised event. Water will appear from places in the ground you would never thought imaginable. One day.........

There again that's the whole point of insurance and the right level of cover.

Maybe one day, maybe never. As i said, it last flooded 3 miles away 70 years ago and they've installed flood defences since then, I'm quite happy with that but who knows. Insurance was less than our last house which wasn't in a flood zone so I'm not sure how that works, all declared as well.

BumWad

PasturesNew wrote: »

How does it look when you go to the environment agency flood map and have a look around at what would be flooded before you etc?

You can also try registering for the flood texts ....

I really would not be able to work out the above and I can't post the link to the map as I'm still a newbie! However I have just been on the link for the flood alerts and it says that they do not provide flood alerts for that area...

BumWad

chrisw wrote: »

Flood zone 3 is actually HIGH risk of flooding, zone 2 is medium risk. However, the EA maps ignore any defences as defences can fail. You may be able to get a letter from the EA to say that defences are in place so the actual risk may be lower, which might satisfy insurance companies, etc. However, you will face the same problem when you come to sell as a lot of people will be put off.

Not in this case, it is mostly definitely a zone 3 and a medium risk, apart from a thin line where the brook is which is a high risk.:huh:

Davesnave

CWSmith wrote: »

I'm not entirely sure any property is entirely safe from flooding in sustained wet weather conditions such as we had this winter.

Mine is. We sit on a ridge. Even so, ground water has occasionally been just under the surface, despite literally falling away either side of the house. This means it might force its way into any badly constructed drains, inspection chambers etc.and cause problems. People probably don't think about ground water much, unless they have a septic tank.

Here, the flooding was much worse in winter 2012/13. Devon had it easier this year.

You're right that surface water is a risk many don't think about until it arrives at the door. Springs also change course and pop up in inconvenient places, so if a house is old, or has an inadequate DPC, that can be inside the property.

Someone skimped when building our barn, where artesian pressure has only recently created a damp problem where two floor slabs join. I've also found a spring elsewhere which wasn't there before the two wet winters.

Meanwhile, the area of our land that is mapped as having 'issues,' shows nothing obvious, unless you count a difficult neighbour!

BumWad

Hi

This is bumwads, better half ( note to wife don't leave account unlocked)

I am probably more in love with this house than my wife, and I don't believe the risk is as bad my wife has made out.

Despite the risk of flooding being flood zone 3, where the brook is positioned means that at its origin (100m away from property), there is a run off area, the brook also has defences built into it. What my wife I think has not said is the brook is a concrete pipe so you cannot see it in our garden it runs underneath, again making flooding less likely

should the brook be about to burst the route it would take to get into our property is easily defendable ( a few sand bags )with a channel on to the drive and away onto the road. The drive is sloped and lower than the house. Water takes the route of least of resistant.

The fact that even after the winter rains we have experienced there is not history of flooding at the address and no claims at neighbouring properties coupled with the fact that insurance companies are not charging a premium for building insurance makes me feel confident in buying this property.

I really feel that the report is written in such away as to be extremely risk adverse, and provide no specifics as to how the property would flood.

I feel this risk is worth taking, as the risk is that small.

pipster1969

BumWad wrote: »

Hi

This is bumwads, better half ( note to wife don't leave account unlocked)

I am probably more in love with this house than my wife, and I don't believe the risk is as bad my wife has made out.

Despite the risk of flooding being flood zone 3, where the brook is positioned means that at its origin (100m away from property), there is a run off area, the brook also has defences built into it. What my wife I think has not said is the brook is a concrete pipe so you cannot see it in our garden it runs underneath, again making flooding less likely

should the brook be about to burst the route it would take to get into our property is easily defendable ( a few sand bags )with a channel on to the drive and away onto the road. The drive is sloped and lower than the house. Water takes the route of least of resistant.

The fact that even after the winter rains we have experienced there is not history of flooding at the address and no claims at neighbouring properties coupled with the fact that insurance companies are not charging a premium for building insurance makes me feel confident in buying this property.

I really feel that the report is written in such away as to be extremely risk adverse, and provide no specifics as to how the property would flood.

I feel this risk is worth taking, as the risk is that small.

That's pretty much what we decided, it was a lot nicer than anything else we saw and perfect for us so we're taking the chance, the slim chance, that it might one day flood.

hazyjo

Google it too. When I was considering Hertford, lots of roads are at risk of flooding. Some I ruled out cos of what I read when googling.

I lived in a house with a 'river' at the back (really, like this one, it was really only a brook).

It was high risk - but had never flooded (in entire history). Had some horrendous weather when I was there, but no floods.

Obviously nobody can predict though. The risk levels are there for a reason. All it takes is a burst bank somewhere up the river path and it I'm guessing it can affect the whole route. My sister's garden was submerged for a while, and the house wasn't in a high risk area.

If you go for it, just remember to never keep hugely sentimental things like photos in say the cupboard under the stairs! And keep sandbags at the ready! Obviously not as simple as that, but everything you can do to be prepared will help.

And, as above, check insurance. My lender's insurance wouldn't cover me, but I went via AA. Was more than usual, but not enough to make me back out.

Jx