Flooding Crisis Renders Homes Unsellable Across Britain Amid Rising Risks and Insufficient Defenses
Christine's bungalow in Trowell, Nottinghamshire has become unsellable due to repeated flooding from a nearby brook since 2020. While insurers funded refurbishment and replacement of belongings, and the Environment Agency (EA) conducted Property Flood Resilience assessments, only cheaper flood-proofing measures were installed, rather than large-scale defenses like embankments or walls.
Over the past decade, EA funding has been reduced by about 50%, leading to a focus on protecting individual properties rather than investing in bigger flood defense schemes. The flood-proofing work completed in 2023 was insufficient; eight months later, flooding recurred when water rose from the ground, as the installed barriers only blocked surface water.
Development upstream has significantly increased runoff, which is expected to rise by about 44% above pre-development levels once all projects are completed. Current planning rules assess developments individually, allowing cumulative flood risk to increase.
The growing flood risk is making properties unsellable. Buyers must be informed of any flooding in the past five years, and a Bayes Business School study revealed homes at flood risk sell for 8–32% below average value. Mortgage lenders may refuse to fund such properties, and although the government covers the flood-risk portion of home insurance until 2039, this support excludes houses built after 2009, discouraging lending for these homes.
Climate change is intensifying extreme weather events and flood risks. Currently, 6.3 million properties in Britain are at risk of flooding, a figure projected to rise to 8 million by 2050. Over 100,000 new homes may be constructed in the highest risk flood zones. The Bank of England states there is no systemic risk while the current insurer scheme remains but acknowledges that future risks could worsen.
