Landlords and renters across England will within a few weeks begin to see a clearer picture of a property’s flood risk.
New Flood Performance Certificates (FPCs) will be piloted to provide standardised information on flood risk and resilience, reflecting the steps taken to protect them and where further action is needed.
The goal is for FPCs to be a trusted source of information, similar to how Energy Performance Certificates are for energy.
The pilot offers a ‘Flood Performance Rating’, which breaks a property’s flood risk down to categories such as exposure, characteristics and resistance.
This will draw on flood risk information already available through the ‘Check Your Flood Risk’ service, covering risks such as rivers and surface water.
The government says FPCs are intended to drive greater uptake of practical resilience measures and support more climate-resilient communities.
There’s no word so far on whether landlords or agents are obliged to provide FPC copies to tenants, although growing publicity for the certificates means tenants may demand them.
Being introduced by the environmental service Flood Re, the pilot certificates will start this year in areas at risk of flooding, with a growing number of pilots also taking place throughout 2027 and beyond.
Flood Re’s ambition is for app-based flood self-assessments to become routine, helping people understand their individual risk, take steps to mitigate it, and in time have these actions recognised by their insurers.
Earlier this year, the government and Flood Re unveiled changes to flood insurance. This included more than halving premiums for contents cover policies in Council Tax Bands A and B, to £25, from April 2027.
This change is intended to support lower-income households and renters, with insurers expected to pass these savings on to customers.
Perry Thomas, chief executive of Flood Re, comments: “By helping people understand how resilient their home is, we can encourage greater investment in resilience and reduce the impact of flooding on homes across the UK.
“Over time, we want resilience improvements to be recognised and rewarded, helping create a future where access to affordable insurance increasingly reflects the actions people take to protect their homes.”
A spokesperson for Aviva insurance company adds:“By 2050 a quarter of homes are likely to be at risk from flooding. Improving flood resilience of homes is critical, not only for our customers, but also for insurers, developers and lenders alike.
“Improving access to flood resilience is key to keeping insurance available and affordable to homes at risk of flooding, particularly as newer homes are not covered by the Flood Re scheme.
“That’s why we welcome the Flood Performance Certificate pilots. To ensure the scheme is a success, it’s important the industry works together with lenders and Flood Re in encouraging flood resilience, helping homeowners to get ready for the future and reducing the impacts that flooding can bring.”
And a property risk expert from the Nationwide says: “Flood Performance Certificates have the potential to become a really valuable tool for homeowners, lenders and insurers by providing clear, consistent information about a property’s exposure to flood risk and the steps that can be taken to improve its resilience.
“Having a standardised approach will support greater understanding of flood risk across the housing market, helping people make more informed decisions about their homes and encouraging practical measures that can reduce the impact of future flooding.”
