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

Eight in ten homes at high risk of flooding in England are now in towns and cities, according to analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF), which says social housing tenants are disproportionately vulnerable to the financial cost.

The research found that 839,000 homes in urban areas are now classified as being at high risk of surface water flooding, a three-fold increase since 2018.

The constituencies of Thurrock, Basildon, Bootle, Sefton and Southport had the highest proportion of homes at risk. Areas of London including Hackney, Barking and Tottenham also made the top 10 and also had the highest proportion of social housing tenants.

Alistair Smyth, director of policy and research at the NHF, said: “With overland flooding a growing threat in cities, this poses a direct risk to people and families living in social housing.

“Our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can support, and residents of social housing are more exposed, less protected and less able to absorb the financial shock when flooding occurs. While housing associations operating in higher risk areas invest significant time and resources in protecting residents, this is a national risk that requires a national response.”

According to the Environment Agency (EA), a home is considered high risk when it has at least a 1 in 30 chance of flooding each year. Extreme rainfall, aging infrastructure and rapid urbanization are fueling the problem.

Overland flooding – when rainwater is not dispersed by normal drainage systems or does not penetrate the ground – makes flooding worse in urban areas, and the EA predicts the number of properties at risk is likely to triple over the next 50 years.

The NHF said people living in social housing, mainly located in urban areas, have been disproportionately affected. In the 10 urban districts in England worst hit by flooding, on average one in four households lived in social housing.

Social renters are less likely to take out household insurance due to the costs, leaving them more exposed to financial loss from water damage. Around one in three of England’s poorest households have household insurance, compared to nine in ten homeowners.

Tracey Garrett, chief executive of the charity National Flood Forum, said there needed to be a “step change” in the way water was managed in urban areas where drainage systems had become overwhelmed by the effects of climate change.

“Every week we receive reports from people whose homes have been flooded with dirty water, often containing sewage, and many have been flooded multiple times,” Garrett said, adding that there is growing concern that “those living in rental or social housing, and who have low incomes, are being hit hardest.”

“These households are often located in higher risk areas but have the least capacity to adapt or protect their homes. Many experience repeated flooding, with little clarity on who is responsible for solving the problem or how long-term solutions will be provided.

“Often people are afraid to speak out or report flooding because they feel it could affect their tenancy.»

Ann Hoyles, 64, a social housing tenant, said her bungalow in Warrington was destroyed by flooding on New Year’s Day last year. She suffers from health problems, including arthritis, and spent all her savings renovating the property and garden, as she considered them her “forever home”.

“I had heard about flooding in this area before, but I was told the problem had been fixed. And with public housing you don’t have a lot of options as to what you can refuse, so I agreed,” she said.

“I lost everything. The water was contaminated so it ruined everything. I’m on crutches so I couldn’t get out and I had to be rescued in a boat. It was a nightmare, I couldn’t sleep because I didn’t know where I was going to live.”

Even though she could afford household insurance, she didn’t have the most comprehensive coverage. “I didn’t have a lot of money so I had to go for the cheapest, which meant I had a lot of problems when it came time to claim,” she said.

Paul Warburton, director of housing services at housing association Torus, who owns his home, said he had spent £500,000 to meet the cost of this flood, just a few years after a previous flood in the same area.

“Half a million pounds – that’s a lot of new bathrooms we could have put in, new houses we could have built,” he said. “And social housing is a precious commodity, there is such a massive demand.”

He said flooding was becoming one of the biggest financial challenges facing the organization.

“The properties are insurance costs more, putting increased financial pressure on us as an organization. And what is not assured is the cost of lodging people in a hotel, of providing them with food, of moving their furniture. The latest flood put 52 homes out of action for 12 months,” he said.

“We have received flood warnings at a number of locations, so every time it rains we dread he. If this continues, we’ll probably end up with a hundred properties that no one will want to live in, and then what will we do with them?