After a weekend in which the UK was battered by Storm Ciara, today saw the launch of a new code of practice developed by industry professionals to help improve standards of investment in property flood resilience for professionals and communities.
According to the Property Flood Resilience Roundtable, the average cost of flooding to a business is £82,000, 40% of businesses fail to reopen after a flood and 20% of non-domestic property in the UK is at risk of flooding. In addition, the average cost of flood damage to homes is £30,000.
It says that climate change is one of the biggest global threats we face, extreme weather events are more frequent and more severe, and property flood resilience (PFR) is an important part of the response to flood risk. As a result, it has published the Property Flood Resilience Code of Practice, detailing PFR measures that can be introduced to buildings at risk from flooding.
The code of practice includes six standards that specify what should be achieved. These standards will be supported by comprehensive guidance on how the standards should be met.
It offers advice to businesses including recommending a survey of property to ensure it is ready for flooding, and undertaking measures such as laying tiles instead of carpets, moving electric sockets higher up the walls and fitting non-return valves.
And it offers property professionals guidance on how to promote and support the code, change behaviour and mitigate the impacts from flooding to the communities, homes or businesses that are most at risk.
Writer and trainer Sue Highmore said: “The Property Flood Resilience Code of Practice is an industry-wide blueprint of best practice for everyone involved in planning for flooding. It gives a long-awaited and much welcomed roadmap for investigation, action and on-going maintenance and will, in time, lead to less misery than that suffered over the weekend by people in West Yorkshire and elsewhere.
She added: “Professionals who advise property owners, purchasers, business occupants and residential tenants can play an important part in helping them think ahead about the risk which flooding poses to their business, investment or homes.
“Lawyers can commission accurate, relatively cheap searches which pinpoint the cause of potential flooding, its likelihood and which parts of the property it would affect. Surveyors can assess the vulnerability of the property to water and the adequacy of protection measures that have been or could be installed.
“This information helps everyone negotiate suitable insurance cover, the backstop for all flood-damaged properties.”
The code of practice can be obtained at: https://www.ciria.org/ItemDetail?iProductCode=C790F&Category=FREEPUBS
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