Hi all,

We are about to buy our first house and it looks like we are jumping in at the deep end! We have seen an amazing 4 bedroom, Grade 2 listed house right next to some amazing mountain biking.

However, it comes with a river at the bottom of the garden, and this river has flooded, most recently in 2008. It caused some superficial damage to the cellars of the house, which has been repaired, and the current owners have installed pumps and tanked the cellars since. The previous flood of the river was in 2000 but it didn’t reach the house.

How much of a problem do you think this is? The house has been on the market for 2 years and I wonder if it’s because people think it’s too much of a risk?

We have approached some insurance companies and they have indicated that they would be willing to insure the house, albeit for a reasonable amount more than the average.

The thing I am worried about is resale. This is not likely to be our “forever home” (to coin a Kirsty and Phil phrase!) and we may need to sell within the next decade. Are we about to buy an unsellable house?

Help!

grade 2 listed means you have to ask jobsworths for permission to anything to it, possibly even repainting, and no satelite dish.

I live in a Grade 2 listed building and have a satellite dish. I have also applied for, and received, permission to extend it twice. So don’t always believe what you read on MTB forums about property.

I wouldn’t be too worried about the flood risk as a purchaser/resident, but i think flood risk will become an increasing issue in years to come, so sell-on may become more challenging. Having said that there is just as good a chance that people and insurance companies will become less hysterical about it.

I think that even the jobsworths will allow you to do things that protect the building providing the changes aren’t detrimental to the look or damage any features.
Is there anything stopping you from building something between the house and river to protect the house. Any solution is going to cost.

Quite important….

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/flooding/funding-outcomes-insurance/insurance/

Pb

It has been for sale for two years – what does that suggest about resaleability?

what does that suggest about resaleability?

That people have no vision and simply want to make a quick buck?

The fact that it’s been on the market for 2 years suggests it’s either been overpriced or they’re not serious about selling it.

It’s certainly been overpriced and the vendors have been very slow to reduce the price. They’ve already moved out so I presume they’re serious about selling at some point.

Double check with your mortgage provider as they might not lend if a flood risk. They usually check this last minute so best confirm now either way.

Becoming a big issue now. I would look elsewhere particulary with a grade 2.

Depends….

Flood risk isn’t a yes/no situation, its probability based. This is what insurers will use to determine whether to cover you or how much it will cost. Ditto whether it will appear in property searches and potentially put off buyers.

Flood risk from rivers is shown on the Environment Agency website (just put in the postcode). Its broad rather than detailed, but will give you an idea of the level of risk.

This doesnt mean the property will definately flood; models can be wrong, and don’t take all sources of flooding into account (groundwater and surface water are harder to get a grip on). They will give you a probability based around flood zones, but being inside the 1 in 75 year flood extent doesnt mean it will flood one time every 75 years. It might not flood for 100 years or more; likewise it might flood four times.

If you like the idea of living by a river, this is pretty much the downside. Try and get locally available data if you want a more informed opinion on the risk you may be taking on, from the EA or local authority (Strategic Flood Risk Assessment or Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment) but for me if the property is indicated by insurers and the EA flood map to be at significant risk, then yes you are going to be taking on some risks with insurance and resale value.

Or you could pay for property level flood proofing. Pricey though.

Good luck!

It’s not really my subject, ok.

It’s grade 2, so how old is it? Usually older places were built on sensible sites, or else they fell down or got washed away long ago. So maybe only the sensible ones survive. Unless there’s been some change, like the entire rainfall run-off from an airfield headed your way. Or something’s changed just downstream to act as a partial dam.

It’s not really my subject though.

do you believe in climate change?

if you do extend the logic

if you don’t then investigate what extra flood protection you can put in (because you never know 😉 )

We have grade II listing and are 200m from the river, and it is a right pain getting insurance – even though we are 30m up, so no real flood risk, a lot of insurers won’t cover us just based on distancefrom a river (ing would,they just ask ‘is your property in a flood risk area’ and we can say no,because we’re 150m out of it.

So I wouldn’t.

Slowoldgit – I have no doubt that the property will remain standing. It’s Georgian and has survived this far. It’s the insurance and resale that’s making me cautious.

Had a recent issue with our rental property in Southampton. E.A now lists it as a Zone 3 high risk / 1:75 years with a 1.2% chance of flooding per year. FFS.

Managed to get a copy of an FRA for a development locally and the Local Authority SFRA map indicates a potential problem for my property in the year 2070 with a 1:200 year tide. Even then it just touches my front door. Chalk and cheese in terms of risk.

I’ve asked the E.A to remodel their less detailed information as it will be problematic on insurance and most likely selling, but as yet heard nothing.

Bump for the Saturday afternoon crew.

We’ve just been for a second viewing and still love it – I need people to tell me that it’s not the worst decision we’ll ever make!!

it will be a hard sell , you love it because the house is so much more than you could get for your money in a non flooded area that is all.

ie its a 300 000 house in non flooded area and your seeing it in at 250000 because its in a flood plain

only an idiot would buy in a flood plain if you want me to be honest and thats why it seems so good. the current vendors have been sitting on it for 2 years and had to reduce the price to a level where it seems attractive to folk and youll likely have to do the same and even more if you need a quick sale.

id say it was a pretty illiquid asset unlike most housing stock – even in aberdeen where property is moving FAST flood plain propertys dont shift – ive seen a peach in kintore with lovely views out over the river and a gert big plot with an old granite built house – unfortunantly that self same river floods the house occasionally.

i CBA with the hassle of redecorating everytime the river floods , sleepless nights during heavy rain – upheval of everything and possible ruining of memorys because i forgot to move a photo album etc…..

but its your call , but id go with your gut on this – if something seems too good to be true…..

To be fair, I don’t think the house will flood to the point that stuff will be damaged. We had another look and the cellars (which are as high as the river has ever flooded) are fully tanked and have pumps to pump the water out. So I think our belongings are as safe as they can be.

pump water out to where …. if the waters coming up at ground level and flowing into the cellars then tanking and pumps wont help , if the watertable was rising and it was coming in from below then that would help i guess

They work – they have been used since they were put in. I think they pump out above a little terrace above the highest water level.

im in a similar boat just now and im buying my first house , like you i see me selling in the next 10 years

for me criteria of actual living space is high but higher still is the resale criteria – especially if the market declines you want to have an as appealing house as possible and people like me and clearly by the fact your asking here your self , are shit scared of flooding.

2 years on the market presuming you have a reasonable market (and are not in the deepest darkest corner of wales with zero job prospects) should have had ANY decent house sold unless its over priced or has a fundimental flaw like flooding.

We found that ‘slightly higher’ insurance for flood plain and listed was more like multiple thousand pounds – get some actual quotes for the right address where you have ticked both the boxes. We had quotes well over 3000 quid from some people, compared to 300 quid that we actually got without flood risk.

Did you offer ?