Will my surveyor investigate the risk of flooding to my property?

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Answer

All surveyors when instructed to prepare a HomeBuyer Report or Building Survey on a property such as you describe will also carry out what is referred to as a "desktop survey" looking into the history of the property and the surrounding area and this should highlight if the property is in an area that is considered to be susceptible to flooding.

You can make these checks yourself by referring to the environment agency's website and entering the postcode of the property that you are considering purchasing.

More comprehensive flood reports can be purchased online from various websites such as homecheck.

Your surveyor should be able to offer you advice with regards to any measures that may be taken to minimise the amount of damage that may occur during a flood event, and the sort of measures suggested will vary depending on the construction type and position of the property. Although generally this level of advice is not included in a building survey as standard and you should ensure that any surveyor instructed is aware that this advice is required.


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Simon Hutton

Hutton Associates

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