You can sell a house in a flood risk area, and an ordinary estate agent sale may well be possible, but a history of flooding or a high risk rating can make insurance and mortgages harder for buyers to arrange, so cash buyers may be the quicker route, at a price that reflects the risk. The key is knowing your risk and having the paperwork buyers will ask for.
How do I check my home’s flood risk?
Start with the official flood risk services, which are free to use:
- England: the GOV.UK “Check your long term flood risk” service shows the risk from rivers and the sea, surface water, reservoirs and, where data is available, groundwater. It also shows how climate change might increase the chance of flooding.
- Wales: Natural Resources Wales runs its own flood risk service.
- Scotland: SEPA publishes flood maps.
- Northern Ireland: flood risk information is available through nidirect.
In England you can also ask the Environment Agency for the flood history of the area around an address or postcode. A fee may apply, depending on how long the report takes to produce.
Buyers and their solicitors can run the same checks, so it is better to know the answer before they do.
Why does flood risk put off some buyers?
The issue is rarely the risk alone. It is what the risk does to insurance, and what insurance does to mortgages.
Lenders insist that a mortgaged home has buildings insurance. If a home has flooded before, or sits in a high risk area, some insurers may decline it or charge more, and a buyer who cannot arrange affordable cover may struggle to get a mortgage. The Law Society’s notes for buyers make the same point: flood risk may affect their ability to obtain buildings insurance and mortgage loans.
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What is Flood Re and how does it work?
Flood Re is a reinsurance scheme set up to make flood cover more widely available and affordable as part of home insurance. It launched in 2016 and works behind the scenes:
- when you buy home insurance, your insurer can choose to pass the flood risk part of your policy to Flood Re for a fixed price, which varies by the council tax band of the property
- if you make a valid flood claim, your insurer pays it and is later reimbursed from the Flood Re fund
- you do not apply to Flood Re yourself; you buy insurance from an insurer that takes part
To qualify, a home must meet Flood Re’s criteria, which include:
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Council tax | A domestic council tax band A to H, or equivalent |
| Age | Built before 1 January 2009 |
| Location | England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland |
| Use | Private residential use |
| Building | A single home, or a building of two or three residential units |
Blocks of more than three flats, most business properties and some buy-to-let homes are excluded. Homes built from 1 January 2009 onwards are not eligible.
When does Flood Re end?
Flood Re says it is due to run until 2039. After that, it expects flood insurance to be priced by the market according to risk. Buyers thinking long term may ask about this, and nobody can yet say what premiums will look like after 2039.
For a seller, the practical point is that an eligible older home may be easier for a buyer to insure than its flood risk alone suggests. Having your current insurance details to hand, including the premium and excess, helps a buyer see that cover is available.
Do I have to tell buyers about flooding?
You must answer the buyer’s enquiries honestly. In England and Wales, the Law Society’s Property Information Form (TA6) asks about flooding, and the explanatory notes define it widely as any case where land not normally covered by water becomes covered by water. They list surface water, groundwater, river, coastal and sewer flooding, and the form also asks about flood defences.
Buyers can rely on your answers. If you give misleading information, the buyer may be able to claim compensation after completion. If you are unsure how to answer, ask your solicitor.
In Scotland, the Home Report includes a property questionnaire that asks about past damage, and your solicitor will advise on what to disclose.
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What helps a flood risk home sell?
Buyers will feel more confident if you can show:
- your current buildings insurance, including the flood element, premium and excess
- details of any past flood claims and the repairs carried out
- any flood defences or resilience measures fitted, such as flood doors or non-return valves, with receipts
- results of any flood risk assessment you have commissioned
The Law Society notes that flood defences may reduce the risk, and that risk assessments are usually expressed as the expected frequency of flooding in years. Our checklist of documents you need to sell covers the rest of the paperwork.
If your home has recently flooded and has not been repaired, our guide to selling a house that needs renovation explains your options, including talking to your insurer before you sell.
How do cash buyers approach flood risk homes?
Cash buyers do not need a lender, so the insurance question does not stop the purchase. They will still consider the cost and availability of insurance, the risk of future flooding, the effect on letting or reselling and, for recently flooded homes, the cost of repairs.
Be prepared for this: offers for a home with a flooding history or high flood risk are usually well below the price of an equivalent home without that risk, and a quick sale generally means accepting less than full market value. If your home is insurable at a reasonable cost and has no recent flooding, an estate agent sale may achieve more. Our guide to how much cash buyers pay explains how offers are worked out.
If you would like to see what buyers on our panel might offer, you can get offers for my home. It is free and there is no obligation to accept any offer.
Common questions
Does Flood Re cover my home?
Flood Re is not something you buy directly. Your insurer decides whether to pass the flood part of your policy to Flood Re. To be eligible, a home generally needs a domestic council tax band (or equivalent), must have been built before 1 January 2009, and must be used for private residential purposes, among other criteria.
What happens when Flood Re ends?
Flood Re says it is due to run until 2039, after which it expects flood insurance to be priced by the open market according to risk. What that will mean for premiums on individual homes is not yet known.
Do I have to tell buyers if my home has flooded?
You must answer the buyer's enquiries honestly. In England and Wales, the Law Society's TA6 form asks about flooding, and buyers can claim compensation after completion if you give misleading information. Tell your solicitor about any flooding, claims and flood defences.
Can a buyer get a mortgage on a house in a flood risk area?
Often, yes, but lenders require buildings insurance, so the buyer needs to be able to insure the home. The Law Society notes that flood risk may affect a buyer's ability to get buildings insurance and a mortgage. Evidence of available insurance and any flood defences helps.
Related guides
- Selling a house that needs renovation Major work, fire, flood and damp damage, lenders, auctions and over-investing.
- Selling a house with subsidence Disclosure, engineer reports, insurance and historic versus active movement.
- How much do cash house buyers pay? Why offers are below market value, and how to judge one.
- Documents you need to sell a house A checklist of the paperwork for a sale, and where to find it.