Last month, MP Therese Coffey launched the Property Flood Resilience Action Plan. This is the product of a working party of private sector organisations, industry bodies, government departments, insurers, surveyors and solicitors. It maps out how to improve the understanding and uptake of flood resilience measures by homeowners and businesses.
Flooding is on the increase and it is impossible for the government to fund adequate flood defences for everyone. Flood Re offers affordable flood insurance for many high-risk homes, but is not a universal panacea.
Homes built in 2009 or later, most flats, buy-to-let properties and all commercial and mixed-use properties are not eligible for Flood Re. Their flood insurance is sourced on the open market and one way to mitigate increasing premiums and excesses is to show that flood resilience measures have been taken at the property level to reduce the risk.
This might mean blocking up openings where water can get in (flood resistance) or changing the materials and internal fittings so that they dry out more quickly without lasting damage.
Current take-up is low, despite grants and DEFRA publicity. This is partly because there is no clear source of advice on what to fit or how to fit it. Many builders and surveyors are not yet skilled enough to tailor measures to each property and the sector lacks robust standards and certification schemes. Insurers do not routinely fund the extra cost of repairing in a flood-resilient way, nor do they yet directly correlate the cost of insurance to the reduced risk achieved by installation of resilience measures. Yet those measures save cost, time and precious belongings, should flood waters strike.
The working party has set ambitious milestones to achieve wider understanding (among homeowners, businesses, financiers and professionals) of why property-level flood resilience is important and effective. The aim is that after five years it will be standard practice for high-flood-risk properties to be resilient. The group has developed a website where information is available from reputable sources on how to prepare for anticipated flooding, deal with it once it has occurred, and manage the aftermath.
The report identifies key areas for future action by the working party:
- Exploring amendment of the Building Regulations to encourage flood-resistant and resilient construction
- Helping Flood Re build up evidence to incentivise use of property-level flood resilience
- Developing robust independent standards for equipment and materials, with proper certification supported across the industry
- Training experts to advise on reducing a property’s flood risk
- Building a strong partnership between property professionals, insurers, materials producers and government to boost take-up of resilience measures
- Harmonising the grant schemes available to flood victims and making it simpler and quicker to claim.
If you are interested in participating in the working group in any way, please contact its new chairman, Graham Brogden at graham.brogden@aviva.com.
Sue Highmore is an editor with Practical Law Property
