Surface water flood risk shoud i be worried

emmaloo79

buyers environmental survey has apparently come back with high sirface water flood risk. house has never flooded all the time ive been there.

on the government website I think you could probably question if the high risk area is actually on my property at all

an environmental consultant I know has said he wouldn't consider it an issue

should I be worried? estate agent has said they are checking building insurance quotes again and solicitor has gone back to lender

in fairness I think both my estate agent and their solicitor are rubbish but hey ho

AdrianC

So the environment agency's search has come back with a result that you think debatable, a friend of yours has said wouldn't worry him - while the putative buyers and their lenders haven't yet decided if they're worried or not.



<shrug> And what's the question?

Is the EA's information demonstrably wrong? Or just open to interpretation based upon an individual's attitude to risk?

hazyjo

From the other side's perspective:


https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5900568/buying-leasehold-flat-with-high-flood-risk&highlight=surface+water

emmaloo79

Thank you for belittling my concerns and making me feel stupid that was really helpful

DD265

I think you'll just have to wait and see what the outcome is unfortunately.

We live in a property that's at medium risk of river flooding, and high risk of surface water flooding. In reality it's not quite that simple because of the terrain/buildings, but we had a near miss a couple of years ago and if I posted pictures of the setup you'd struggle to believe it. People who'd lived in the area for 20ish years said they'd never seen flooding like it.

That was enough to make us cautious when looking for a house to buy, but there are plenty of other people who wouldn't be and hopefully for you your buyer is one of those.

AdrianC

emmaloo79 wrote: »

Thank you for belittling my concerns and making me feel stupid that was really helpful

I wasn't belittling you.

I just don't really understand what you're wanting to know...

Officer_Dibble

"High risk" is something like one year in 30 isn't it, so you could be there a long time without it flooding. Are you currently paying a lot for your insurance?


We live at the edge of a high risk area, but the house has been there nearly 100 years with no record of it flooding. That doesn't mean it won't though, and the insurance costs reflect this. The houses round here are all in the same boat (not literally, fortunately) and ones that are bang in the middle of the "high risk" area seem to sell without a problem.


I'd feel less relaxed though if it was relatively new build on a river flood plain - there's a lot of it around and I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

shinytop

Thank you for belittling my concerns and making me feel stupid that was really helpful

Unfortunately that's what you get here. You also get some helpful posts that answer the question; you just have to sift through the dross.
The risk ratings are based on how often it's likely to flood. Ask the Estate Agent if other properties nearby are affected. Otherwise your insurance company is a good source of information but at the end of the day it's up to the buyer. They could ask for a price cut if insurance is expensive.

todayisagreatday

We had similar and live adjacent the the canal. We checked local records and our are had never floodwd despite the risk of flooding due to surface water results. In the end we were advised to get a quote for buildings insurance and see what this was and it was £65 a year. Spoke to insurance companies and gave them details, yes within so many metres of watercourse, yes within so many metres of trees, and still quotes were fine. Apparantly they use historical data and they had no flooding concerns. First step, check insurance quotes. The price should give you some information on whether it is a concern.

emmaloo79

Thanks everyone that has helped a lot I appreciate it

agrinnall

Surface water flooding in Selly Park, Birmingham in May this year, cause by more than a month's rainfall in an hour. If it happened there it could happen in your location too.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-44291398