Homeowners Guide to Property Flood Resilience 2021 launches to offer practical property flood resistance and resilience advice

The new Homeowners Guide to Flood Resilience provides hugely practical advice on reducing the impact any future flood may have

With many homeowners across the UK dealing with the continued aftermath of flooding following Storm Christoph and Storm Darcy in the first quarter of the year, the Know Your Flood Risk campaign has released a brand new 2021 edition of the Homeowners Guide to Property Flood Resilience.

It provides practical advice on the steps that property owners can take to adapt their homes and lessen the impact future flood events may have.

The guide has been extensively researched by co-authors Mary Dhonau OBE and Carly Rose PhD – both of whom have personal experiences of flooding. This includes informative content on flood risk awareness, flooding expertise hints and tips from flood and insurance industry specialists.

In addition, the guide provides advice on how to protect homes, with photographs of resilience products and what they can be used for, and information regarding property-level sustainable drainage solutions, real-life case studies and a directory of verified manufacturers.

Mary Dhonau OBE, who is supporting the DEFRA Ox-Cam Property Flood Resilience Pathfinder Project across seven UK local authorities explains: “It has been awful to see yet more devastation being caused in properties across the country earlier this year.

“Unfortunately, the sad truth is that so many of us are at risk of being flooded; I passionately believe that anything we can do to reduce the awful impact is money well spent in the long-run. Many of us invest in smoke alarms or security locks to protect against fires or thefts, however for those living at risk of flooding, water is the most effective and indiscriminate ‘burglar’ there is.

“The new Homeowners Guide to Flood Resilience provides hugely practical advice on reducing the impact any future flood may have, which can speed up repair and recovery time and ultimately reduce the length of time people are forced out of their homes. It also provides details of approved Kitemarked PFR products.”

This guide has been created with kind sponsorship from Flood Re and Landmark Information Group.

Dermot Kehoe from Flood Re said: “The Homeowners Guide to Property Flood Resilience provides a very helpful toolkit of information that people can refer to for practical support, guidance and contacts and we are delighted to sponsor the launch of the 2021 edition.

“As we face an increased risk of flooding due to climate change, as well as the demand for new homes, we have welcomed the Government’s consultation into a new long-term plan to tackle flooding, which includes proposals relating to Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures. The plan proposes changes to Flood Re to potentially include a ‘Build Back Better’ programme to pay claims that include resilient or resistant repairs, as well as flood damage.

“Allowing Flood Re to evolve through this package of proposals will not only help encourage the take-up of PFR measures by householders, but will support the insurance industry, while encouraging the growth of the resilience products sector, as well as reducing the costs and disruption that future flooding may bring to many.”

Adds Chris Loaring, Managing Director, Landmark Legal: “With over five million properties considered to be at risk of flooding in England, it’s vital that homeowners not only regularly check their risk, but they know what steps they can take if flooding is an increasing concern. This Guide is a living document, which is regularly updated with current advice, resilience products tips and vital next steps. It’s something anyone concerned about flooding should have to hand for reference, and it could really help make a big difference to those living with the worry that flood waters bring.”

In a survey conducted by BRE of over 250 property and flood industry professionals, the Homeowners Guide to Property Flood Resilience was cited as the ‘go to guide’ for technical flood resilience advice2.

The free Homeowners Guide to Property Flood Resilience is available to download from here.

For more information visit www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk.

ENDS




Notes to Editors:
1. Under consultation at the time of writing - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/multi-billion-pound-inves...

2. The survey, which was produced as part of CIRIA’s project to develop a Code of Practice and guidance for property flood resilience, found that 54% of 142 respondents refer to the guide for technical help and advice, over other technical documents.

3. Interviews with Mary Dhonau OBE are available on request.


About Know Your Flood Risk:
Know Your Flood Risk, which is sponsored by Landmark Information Group, is a campaign raising awareness of the risk of flooding from all sources - not just from the river, sea, or a visible water course. The majority of flood insurance claims are for surface water flooding where there is no obvious water to alert a homeowner to the potential risk. The Know Your Flood Risk campaign provides essential practical guidance to enable homeowners and property professionals to mitigate against and prepare for the risk of being flooded. The campaign supplies a property-specific flood report for £24 which can be used by homeowners to help identify the potential risk, as well as confirm whether they will be able to obtain insurance at standard terms. More information is available at www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk.

About Landmark Information:
Landmark Information uses data and technology to help customers in the residential and commercial property industries streamline their operations and reduce risk. It combines complex property and environmental data into sophisticated risk models and solutions to enable customers to make smarter decisions, and build workflow solutions that allow customers to carry out tasks more efficiently and effectively.

Landmark has long-standing partnerships with customers in the mortgage lending, surveying and conveyancing markets, as well as in land acquisition, property development, estate agency and insurance. The business takes an entrepreneurial approach that fosters constant innovation, growth and talent development across the organisation. Landmark Information is an international business which is headquartered in the UK and is part of Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT).
Visit http://www.landmark.co.uk/ or follow Landmark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LandmarkUK

About the Ox-Cam PFR Pathfinder Project:
As one of three DEFRA-funded national pathfinder partnerships, the Ox-Cam Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Pathfinder Project has launched to raise awareness of PFR across the Oxfordshire-Cambridgeshire Arc region.

The Ox-Cam PFR Pathfinder Project will be hosting community events to demonstrate the active steps that people can take to make properties and businesses resilient to flooding. This will include PFR demonstrations using a bespoke ‘Floodmobile’ vehicle, an example property at HR Wallingford in Oxfordshire, and the online provision of PFR resources, specialists and guidance.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oxcampfr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OxCamPFR

Editor’s Contact:
Peppa Sheridan, Peptalk Communications
+44 (0) 7725 121189 / peppa@peptalkpr.co.uk