Urban areas host 80% of England’s homes at high risk of flooding, study finds

Eight in 10 of the homes that are at high risk of flooding in England are now in towns and cities, according to analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF), which said social housing tenants are disproportionately vulnerable to the financial cost. Research found that 839,000 homes in urban areas are now classed as being at high risk of surface water flooding, a threefold increase since 2018.

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According to the Environment Agency (EA), a home is considered to be at high risk when it has at least a one in 30 chance of being flooded each year. Extreme rainfall, ageing infrastructure and rapid urbanisation are fuelling the problem. 

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Social tenants are less likely to have contents insurance because of the costs, leaving them more exposed to financial losses from water damage. About one in three of the poorest households in England have contents insurance compared with nine in 10 homeowners. 

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“Properties are costing more to insure, so that’s putting more financial strain on us as an organisation. And what’s not insured is the cost of putting people in a hotel, subsistence, moving people’s furniture out. The last flood took 52 homes out of action for 12 months,” - Paul Warburton, director of housing services at Torus housing association.