A. Repairing a home post flood offers a unique opportunity to minimise the damage and disruption that could be caused by a flood in the future. There are two main ways to do this which should be considered together:

• Flood resistance – prevents or reduces the amount of water that gets inside the property.
• Flood resilience - reduces damage caused when flood water gets inside the property.

Your first priority is always to try and stop water getting into your property. There is a vast range of tested products for keeping flood water out of your home or business and this is increasing. Visit the NFF website at floodforum.org.uk/ for more information about these products. You can also view some case studies on how some people have protected their homes.

When floodwater is deeper and over more prolonged periods of time, water may still enter through the floor and walls or overcome flood resistance measures. In such cases, making sure that the inside of your property is resilient to floodwater will limit the damage caused by floodwater and reduce the clean up and repair time post flood to your property. Having to evacuate your home is an incredibly stressful time for most people. Having preventative measures in place will help to reduce the stress and inconvenience that goes with having to move out of your property. Please keep in mind that it is recommended that for a flood deeper than one metre, its more beneficial to allow floodwater to enter the property, helping to prevent any structural damage caused by a build-up of water pressure outside.

Flood-resilient repair is to be used in conjunction with and, can be combined with a range of flood protection products. The end goal is to reduce the amount of water that enters next time it floods and ultimately the time you are away from your home and the overall repair costs.

A. Yes. If you are actively taking preventative measures to help reduce the chance of your home flooding or the damage that floodwater causes, you are far more likely to get insurance in the first instance and to be offered premiums that are less expensive and/or excesses lower than if you simply do nothing.

A. The Environment Agency’s National Flood Risk Assessment describes those properties in areas that have more than a 1 in 75 chance of flooding every year as at “significant risk”. Keep in mind though that this does not mean that if you have just been flooded you will be fine for the next 75 years. It effectively means that there is a greater than 1 in 75 chance that the area in which your property resides in will flood in any given year. Also keep in mind that you may also be at risk of surface water flooding and that this is not currently taken into account in the Environment Agency’s assessment. Always check with your local authority for more information on the risk of surface water flooding in your area.

If you live in an area that is at significant risk, you should think carefully about how to prepare for a flood and to minimise the damage to your home which results from a flood. The Environment Agency has useful booklets on steps to take before, during and after flooding. You should sign up for their free flood warning service (search for ‘floodline warnings direct’ on www.environment-agency.gov.uk or call Floodline on 0845 988 1188) for more information on your risk and when to put your prevention measures in place.

A. If you decide to sell your home and you live in a vulnerable area of the country, you will more than likely have to answer questions from the potential purchaser and be asked to declare whether or not you have been flooded. Many solicitors are also likely to look into whether your home is in a flood risk area on behalf of their clients as a standard procedure.

If you have been flooded, but have installed flood resistance and resilience measures, this is likely to offer reassurance to a potential buyer that you have recognised the risk of flooding and done something to reduce the chance of it happening again, or the consequences if it does. This should, in theory, have a positive effect for anyone looking ot purchase in an at rick area of the UK.

A. At least 2.5 million properties in England and Wales, given their location, are at risk from flooding from rivers or the sea,. 1.1 million of these are also at risk of surface water flooding. A further 2.9 million properties are susceptible to surface water flooding alone. it is also worth keepin in mind with this that climate change is increasing the risk of flood further and further. Even if the Government did make a significant investment in flood defences, the number of properties at risk is unlikely to fall significantly. The truth is that the risk of being flooded will be a fact of life for many years to come and realistically, everybody should take steps to understand their risk of potential flooding and reduce it if they can.

A. You should discuss with your insurer or loss adjuster about flood resistant and resilient measures. These may sound like expensive undertakings but some may not cost more than standard repairs and can therefore be undertaken at no extra cost by your insurer. For example moving electrical points well above likely flood level. Other measures may be more costly like using water resistant plaster, installing water resistant doors and window frames and replacing timber floors with solid concrete. Your insurer will normally do this work as part of the repair as long as you are willing to pay the additional cost. Keep in mind that if you are significantly at risk then in the long run it is worth acting as soon as you can to implement as many preventative measures as you can to avoid further issues and upset.

Flood resistant measures, such as installing additional removable guards over all openings and installing valves into drainage pipes to prevent sewage backing up into the house would not normally form part of the repair of the property and will not be paid for by your insurer, but they can sometimes be fitted during the repair process. These are recommended again to avoid further dismay caused by floodwater.

The costs of such measures should be weighed up against the financial savings they can bring in reducing or avoiding flood damage in the future. You should also consider these measures as a way of reducing the stress and inconvenience of getting back into your home, and getting your life back to normal quickly.

A. Insurance policies will generally cover the cost of standard repairs. You should consider any extra costs for resilient repairs or resistance measures as an investment to protect your property. It may be worth considering talking to your mortgage lender about extending your mortgage to fund such floodwater preventative measures.

A. Most resilient repairs will not be visible as they will naturally replace existing methods in your home (like plasterboards and door and window frames), although electrical fittings are likely to be replaced in a higher position to avoid being submerged. If you do repair your home using resilient materials, your home will be returned to its pre-incident state much more quickly if you are flooded again.

A. Most flood resilient measures can be included in the schedule of works put together by your insurer or loss adjuster and they should not slow the repair process down. Once resilient repairs are installed they will reduce damage caused by future flooding and speed up the repair process if you are flooded again.

A. Water is a tricky thing to maintain and always seems to find a way so it is worth keeping in mind that these are preventative measures and may or may not be measures that withstand water entering your property. It is recommended though that you can put irreplaceable or valuable items on high-mounted shelves and keep electrical items off the floor and high up on walls if possible. Do sign up for localised flood warnings. be prepared!