Is my area at risk of flooding?

What the GOV.UK check covers

Enter a postcode and the service tells you about the area's long-term risk from:¹

• rivers and the sea
• surface water, when heavy rain can't drain away
• reservoirs
• groundwater, where data is available

It also shows how climate change might increase the chance of flooding, the possible causes of flooding and how to manage the risk.¹

GOV.UK says the service does not tell you how likely it is that an individual property will flood, or about flood risk from things like blocked drains and burst pipes.¹

What high, medium, low and very low mean

The Environment Agency's surface water map gives the chance of flooding beyond a stated depth in any one year, in four bands:²

A chance each year is not a timetable. As Somerset Council puts it for a 1 in 200 chance, being flooded this year doesn't mean you won't be flooded for the next 200 years.⁹

The surface water map leaves out flooding less than 75mm deep, and the Environment Agency says it does not provide property-specific data and cannot say whether individual buildings are at risk.²

Why an area answer isn't a house answer

The Environment Agency says its national flood risk products do not show risk at a property level, and that each is built for a different purpose, with different methods and terms.⁴ So two maps can describe the same street differently without either being wrong.

“Not all properties within that area (which could be a street or a postcode) will necessarily be at the same risk of flooding. This might be the case if the property is on higher land or the floor levels are high.”

It also says its national flood risk assessment was not developed or tested for insurance underwriting or setting premiums. Insurers use their own methods.⁶

Flood Map for Planning is for planning

You may also come across the Flood Map for Planning. It is for planning applications: for example, finding out whether a development needs a flood risk assessment.⁸

• Its flood zones show river and sea flooding only, and ignore flood defences.³
• The Environment Agency says the information is intended only for development planning and flood risk assessments, and is not suitable for identifying whether an individual property will flood.³

If you are buying, renting or insuring a home, the long-term check above is the one written for you.

Finding out more about one place

• Past floods. You can email the Environment Agency for the flood history of the area around an address. It may charge a fee, replies within 20 working days, and doesn't have records for every area.⁵ Your lead local flood authority (your council) or internal drainage board may also hold records.⁵
• Evidence for an insurer. If your insurer asks for evidence of your flood risk, the Environment Agency will send a letter, free, within 20 days.⁷
• If you think a map is wrong. You can ask the Environment Agency to review new evidence. For the surface water map, contact your lead local flood authority.⁴

Who decides

• Whether flooding is likely in the next few days: GOV.UK's five-day flood check and Environment Agency flood warnings, not long-term maps.⁷
• Your premium and cover: your insurer, using its own methods.⁶
• Whether a map changes: the Environment Agency, or for surface water your lead local flood authority.⁴