Flood risk check for a property

Search an address to see current Environment Agency flood alerts as a dated snapshot, plus area river, sea and surface water screening where available. These are postcode or area level findings, not a flood assessment of the building.

What a report shows

Environment Agency flood alerts and warnings in force near the postcode when the report was checked, as a dated snapshot (England only)
Area river and sea flood screening from Street Data, where available
Area surface water flood screening from Street Data, where available
Coastal erosion screening from Street Data, including estimated erosion near the shore, where available
The source, assessment scale and check date for each finding

What it does not show

It is not an address-level flood assessment. Findings relate to a postcode or area, not to one building or its floor levels.
No current alert does not mean low long-term risk. It only means nothing was found in force at the time of the check.
The alert check covers England. For Wales, use the Natural Resources Wales flood warning service.
It does not show whether the property has flooded before. Ask the seller, and check the answers on the TA6 form.
It is not an insurance quote and cannot say whether Flood Re applies. Get a quote on the exact address.
It does not replace your conveyancer's searches or a survey. Missing records are not evidence that a risk is absent.

Take the check further

Enter the postcode in Check your long term flood risk for England, or the Natural Resources Wales check for Wales.
Look at each source separately, because surface water can differ sharply from rivers and the sea.
Read the seller's flood answers on the TA6 form and ask about past insurance claims.
Get a buildings insurance quote on the exact address before you exchange.

How to check flood risk explains the risk bands and flood zones in full.

Alerts and long-term risk are different

A flood alert or warning describes what is expected in the short term. Long-term risk describes how often an area may flood over the years. A home in a high risk area will have no alert on most days, so a clear snapshot should never be read as reassurance.

Warnings cover flooding from rivers, the sea and groundwater, not surface water flash flooding, so an alert check also misses that source.

Insurance comes first

UK Finance says buildings insurance with flood cover is an essential requirement for all mortgages. A home that is hard to insure can be hard to mortgage, and to sell. Flood Re helps many homes built before 1 January 2009, but it has eligibility rules and is due to end in 2039.

Your conveyancer can advise which searches you need. For other checks a report does not cover, see what to check before buying a house and Japanese knotweed when buying.

Questions, answered

Does this tell me if the house will flood?

No. No tool can say that. The report gives a dated alert snapshot and area screening where available. It does not know the building's floor levels or flood history.

Why is the alert check limited to England?

The alerts come from the Environment Agency, which covers England. Natural Resources Wales runs its own flood warning service for Wales.

What does area screening mean?

It is an indicative risk level for the surrounding area from river, sea or surface water flooding. Each finding shows its assessment scale. It is a prompt for further checks, not a site assessment.

Sources

Last checked 4 November 2026. General guidance for England and Wales, not legal, financial or survey advice.