Buying leasehold flat with high flood risk

RonSwanson

A few weeks away from completion and just received a report that says the building is at high risk of flooding from surface water.

The building is a 2 story house built before 2009 and the flat I'm purchasing is on the top floor.

The report says there is a scheme to protect houses built before 2009 with a high flood risk.

If the building has insurance covered. Do I need to be concerned about this?

G_M

well it's possible the flooding could cause the electrics to go, or ou might get sewerage in the communal hallway/driveway etc, but I'd be more concerned if buying the ground floor flat.


You say there's a scheme to protect the building so clearly that reduces or removes the risk- what do you know of the scheme?


And what is your view of the area? Can you see an obvious reason for the risk eg the building is in a valley or dip between higher ground, where water might naturally run to?

hazyjo

It's not like they're saying a river is likely to burst its banks. It's that the drainage is poor and the road may get wetter/deeper in water than it should.


I've just checked this https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/long-term-flood-risk and my current house is high risk of surface water flooding ("SWF") too. Don't remember it saying high risk when I bought last year, but SWF was mentioned. My previous house was at risk of SWF when I bought it, but it's no longer showing that on this link. Two houses before that was also high risk of SWF (and medium risk of flooding from a river).


Does appear to be very common - or maybe I just pick houses prone to SWF lol! Never noticed any of the streets being wetter than any others nearby.


What does your solicitor say? Does it affect the price of your insurance? Obviously it's not going to affect the flat directly.

troffasky

The second storey doesn't exist in isolation from the first storey. If it gets flooded then you will at least be paying a contribution in higher building insurance premiums and possibly costs for other remedial works.

Conversely, if you were buying the ground floor flat, would you shrug off a big hole in the roof because you're not buying a flat on the top floor?

hazyjo

troffasky wrote: »

The second storey doesn't exist in isolation from the first storey. If it gets flooded then you will at least be paying a contribution in higher building insurance premiums and possibly costs for other remedial works.

Conversely, if you were buying the ground floor flat, would you shrug off a big hole in the roof because you're not buying a flat on the top floor?

It's surface water flooding, not flooding from a river or the like. It is not going to end up six feet under water (don't sue me if we have a monsoon-like downpour daily for a month!).


Your analogy should really be comparing it with something like a slipped tile rather than a big hole in the roof.

RonSwanson

Thanks for the replies. And yes it's a risk from heavy rain not from any local rivers or oceans. Both the house and road don't appear to be on any kind of dip. In fact, quite the opposite.

troffasky wrote: »

The second storey doesn't exist in isolation from the first storey. If it gets flooded then you will at least be paying a contribution in higher building insurance premiums and possibly costs for other remedial works.

Conversely, if you were buying the ground floor flat, would you shrug off a big hole in the roof because you're not buying a flat on the top floor?

I completely agree with what you're saying but is this still the case if my building insurance fees are included in my service charge (which is fixed for a minimum of 2 years)?

All I need to worry about is contents insurance right? I'm a first time buyer and my solicitor isn't the most helpful.

Peggy0628

A bit of personal experience.
I used to live in a house with high risk of surface water flooding. One year it got flooded 3 times within a 5 week period (second flooding 2 weeks after the first and third 3 weeks after the second). Got flooded 5 times during my tenancy (water a foot deep on worst day). It was a nightmare and every time it rained, I was having anxiety attacks... In the end moved to a different part of town as it was too much stress. The flooding was caused by drains that were too small for the amount of water trying to get through and as a result the water spilled onto the road, then pavements, into front gardens and eventually into houses. The council has been informed several times but won't do anything (apart from telling us to claim on our insurance and cleaning the drains more often that in other, un-flooded areas) as replacing the drain pipes for bigger ones would cost too much money.
Renting a house that might flood is one thing (it's fairly easy to move out) but owning it (might be impossible to sell if needed)? No, thanks. When I finally buy my own place, I will make sure it's well away from any source of water, and at least half way up a hill (the higher the better) just to be sure.
In your situation I would find out what exactly is the cause of the flooding and possible solutions (if small drain pipes - unlikely to get fixed) and be ready to walk out.

Liz_Mitchell

Speaking from extensive knowledge in this sector:
Your contents: If the property is built pre 1/10/2010 then you are eligible for a scheme called Flood Re where you may pay an increased amount for your insurance (if you wish to be covered for flood) based on your Council Tax Band. Whilst you may be on the top floor there is still a chance you need insurance cover primarily for alternative accomodation if say the block can not be accessed or mains services are severely impacted or communal access areas can not be used. However I would also check whether there is any provision for alternative accommodation for tennants within the properties building insurance.
Buildings cover - this is paid by the freeholder, often a management company comprising of the tennants. If your property is built pre 1/10/2010 and the block is 3 dwellings or less then the property is eligible for Flood Re, If the block is bigger than this then the property is not eligible for Flood Re and this is where you may have a challenge. Insurers have over the past decade plus been shying away from insuring properties in high flood risk areas, they have also increased the level of sophistication of their understanding of flood - that said surface water flooding is really hard to predict. I would check the situation with the freeholder as to have they got insurance for flooding and whether any terms such as a large excess apply and whether they have had difficulties in obtaining insurance cover at all. Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other queries :-)

hazyjo

RonSwanson wrote: »

I completely agree with what you're saying but is this still the case if my building insurance fees are included in my service charge (which is fixed for a minimum of 2 years)?

All I need to worry about is contents insurance right? I'm a first time buyer and my solicitor isn't the most helpful.

I'm sure it would be very easy/acceptable to ask how much the vendors paid for this over the last 2 years.


Easy to get a quote for contents online. See if it makes any difference.

Peggy0628 wrote: »

One year it got flooded 3 times within a 5 week period (second flooding 2 weeks after the first and third 3 weeks after the second). Got flooded 5 times during my tenancy (water a foot deep on worst day).
...
When I finally buy my own place, I will make sure it's well away from any source of water, and at least half way up a hill (the higher the better) just to be sure.

Blimey, that is bad for SWF! Never heard of it being that serious!


I'm up a hill (the road opposite the end of mine is around 18% gradient!), and still high risk LOL!