Frequently asked
questions

Start with the Environment Agency's free Check Your Long Term Flood Risk tool — enter your postcode and it will show river, sea, surface water and groundwater risk separately. It is a likelihood assessment, not a guarantee either way: plenty of homes that show as "very low risk" have still flooded, usually from surface water or groundwater that the headline river-and-sea rating doesn't fully capture.

Take it seriously, but pair it with local knowledge. The Environment Agency's national maps are built from broad hydrological modelling, not a survey of your specific property — a house can sit in a mapped risk zone and have never taken water, or sit outside one and have flooded from a mechanism the map doesn't model well, like groundwater or a blocked local culvert. Ask the seller directly whether the property has flooded, and consider a specific flood-risk survey before you commit if the map raises any flag at all.

River (fluvial) flooding happens when a watercourse overtops its banks after sustained or heavy rainfall. Surface water (pluvial) flooding happens when rainfall overwhelms drainage before it can reach a river at all — it needs no river or sea nearby and is now the most common flood type in England, affecting an estimated 4.6 million properties. Groundwater flooding happens when the water table itself rises and emerges through floors, drains and foundations — slower to arrive, slower to leave, and often misdiagnosed because there is no visible watercourse to blame.

Yes — this is one of the most misunderstood facts in flood risk. Surface water flooding needs no river or sea; it happens wherever drainage infrastructure is overwhelmed, and modern paving, population growth and ageing culverts mean many villages and towns now generate more runoff than their drainage was ever designed to carry.

Usually one of three things, often in combination: drainage infrastructure built decades or centuries ago and never upgraded as the area grew and paved over; heavier and more intense rainfall driven by a warming climate (UK rainfall in the latest 30-year period is about 9% higher than in 1961–1990, according to the Met Office); or a specific local blockage or defect — a collapsed culvert, a neglected drain, an unmaintained watercourse — that nobody has formally investigated. A Section 19 investigation is the legal mechanism for establishing which of these applies to your area.

Autumn and winter carry the highest river and sustained-rainfall risk in most of England, as saturated ground and Atlantic storm systems combine. But summer is not risk-free — intense, short-duration rainfall can trigger serious surface water flash flooding even in a dry year, especially after a hot, dry spell has hardened the ground so it can't absorb sudden rain. Climate patterns like El Niño can shift the odds further in a given year.

The mechanism is straightforward physics, not speculation: a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, so when it does rain, rainfall events tend to be more intense. The UK's own climate data backs this up — UK rainfall in the latest 30-year period is about 9% higher than in 1961–1990, according to the Met Office. Climate change doesn't create flood risk that wasn't already there from geography and infrastructure; it makes the existing risk more likely to be realised, and more severe when it is.

As soon as possible — ideally within the first 72 hours. The decisions made in those early hours (what gets thrown away, who dries the property, which contractor is booked, what evidence is captured) often shape the entire recovery. you can reach RISE at any time by phone or WhatsApp, and you speak to RISE directly, not a call centre.

We listen to what's happened, ask a few direct questions about your property and your insurance position, and tell you honestly whether RISE can help. There's no script and no pressure to commit to anything on that first call.

No. Many homeowners contact RISE before they've spoken to their insurer, and that's often the best time — it means you go into the claims process already understanding your rights and what to look out for.

No, and this is an important distinction. RISE is independent and works exclusively for you, the homeowner — never for the insurer, never for the contractor. We are not a loss assessor, and we do not manage your insurance claim, negotiate it, or act for you with your insurer. Our role is to make sure you understand your situation and are treated fairly by everyone else involved in it.

A Case Assessment is a fixed-fee, independent review of your specific situation — £250 — covering where you stand with your insurer, whether a Section 19 investigation applies, and what your realistic options are. There's no ongoing obligation after it; some homeowners take it from there themselves, others ask RISE to continue supporting them.

Flood recovery guidance, rebuild oversight and contractor contract review, drainage and council escalation, and flood resilience property reviews. All engagements are governed by a signed consultancy agreement so you know exactly what's included before you start.

Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 places a legal duty on your local council, acting as the Lead Local Flood Authority, to investigate flooding in its area where it's appropriate to do so, and to publish what it finds. Most homeowners are never told this duty exists, let alone that it may apply to their flood.

This is exactly what a Case Assessment establishes. See our Section 19 Reference Manual for the background, or book a Case Assessment to get a direct answer for your property.

There's no fixed statutory deadline, and timelines vary significantly by council and case complexity — some run to a matter of months, others considerably longer, particularly where multiple risk management authorities (council, water company, Environment Agency) need to coordinate. Sustained, documented engagement generally moves things faster than a single letter and then silence.

Publication is the start of the accountability process, not the end of it — a report that identifies a cause and a responsible authority does not, by itself, compel that authority to fund or carry out remedial works. Turning findings into action typically needs continued, formal representations to the relevant authorities. In one case RISE was directly involved in, sustained engagement following a Section 19 investigation secured over £2 million in council-funded infrastructure works.

It depends on the asset: highway drains are generally the council's responsibility, main watercourses usually sit with the Environment Agency, ordinary watercourses and many culverts fall to the Lead Local Flood Authority or the riparian landowner, and sewers are typically the water company's responsibility. Establishing which applies in your specific case is exactly what a Section 19 investigation is for.

If your insurer takes part in Flood Re's Build Back Better scheme, it can pay up to £10,000 on top of the repair cost for flood-resilience measures. Insurers choose whether to take part, so ask in writing before the repair scope is agreed.

Often, yes. "Being handled" and "being handled in your best interest" aren't always the same thing. A Case Assessment is a low-cost way to get an independent second opinion before bigger decisions (contractors, settlement figures, resilience funding) are locked in.

Flood Re is the government-backed reinsurance scheme that keeps flood insurance affordable for at-risk homes across the UK. Most residential properties are eligible; it excludes homes built from 1 January 2009 onwards, business premises, blocks of more than three flats, and housing association or company-owned homes. Some park and mobile homes can qualify if you own them personally and pay Council Tax. Check floodre.co.uk directly, or ask your insurer or broker whether your policy is ceded to the scheme.

A Flood Performance Certificate (FPC) is a new, still-developing Flood Re initiative that will give a property a standardised, verified assessment of its flood resilience — similar in concept to an Energy Performance Certificate for energy efficiency — with the aim of eventually supporting insurance discounts for homes that can demonstrate genuine resilience measures. Flood Re plans to pilot them by the end of 2026. They are not available to buy yet.

This is one of the hardest gaps in the current system. Some park and mobile homes can be covered by Flood Re if you own them personally and pay Council Tax. Commercial caravan-site operations cannot. Check Flood Re's eligibility page or ask your insurer. Where cover is hard to find, specialist brokers may have options — the BIBA Flood Insurance Directory is a reasonable starting point — but this remains a genuinely underserved area.

Prioritise safety first, then documentation. Our Emergency page covers what to do in the first 72 hours step by step. If you need to talk to someone right now, call 07391 151719 or message us on WhatsApp.