LAND JOURNAL

RICS updates flood-related consumer guidance

With flooding increasingly common in the UK, RICS has published revised versions of its consumer guides on the risk this poses to property and how to reinstate boundaries afterwards

Author:

Fiona Mannix
James Kavanagh MRICS

12 January 2023

Land and resources

Sustainability

Water management

RICS' updated consumer guide on flooding provides clear, impartial advice for homeowners and occupants.

The updated guide provides information on the different sources of floods, where you can check flood risk in your area, how to sign up to flood warnings and provides information of flood alerts.

The advice outlines how flooding can occur and the serious impacts it can have. There is also advice for homeowners and occupants who want:

to check whether their property is at risk of flooding
to ascertain whether the house they are considering buying is at risk of flooding
to prepare for potential floods.

The guide sets out what to do after a flood, its implications for the value of property, and information on potential insurance consequences. It also provides information on the many ways in which RICS members can help. Members themselves may wish to read the Property Flood Resilience guide prepared by Mary Dhonau Associates, published in partnership with the Environment Agency and Flood Re. This includes case studies about homeowners and businesses who have made adaptations to prevent flooding or to enable a quicker recovery after a flood.

Fiona Mannix is senior specialist, land and resources, at RICS

Contact Fiona: Email

Advice on restoring boundaries after floods

Given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events because of global climate change, society will need to adapt accordingly. Fire, floods and storms do not respect artificial boundaries, and natural disasters can destroy established fences and other boundary features.

RICS has therefore also updated its consumer guide on reinstating boundaries damaged by extreme weather, to help people better understand some of the issues they will face. The updated guide takes account of other climate change-related extreme weather events such as the UK wildfires last summer.

It also underlines the importance of good neighbourliness when dealing with boundaries and how crucial this is to reinstatement as well as where to access official information – HM Land Registry, Ordnance Survey and the Environment Agency – and what to discuss with an expert chartered surveyor.

Repairs and damage assessments after disasters of this kind can often highlight the difficulties of reinstating the line of the legal boundary, which is one of the first ways of making a property feel like a home again and a great way to encourage good neighbourliness.

This guide should be read in conjunction with related RICS guidance on boundary disputes.