The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) re-issued its popular consumer guides on flooding amid reports across the UK, with particularly hefty downpours in Wales and the South West and many red and yellow weather warnings in place. 

The guide helps homeowners identify flood risks to their property, how to prepare for a flood, and crucially what to do after it.

The guide also explains where to get professional advice on flood resilience measures (to ensure your property can cope with a flood) from accredited surveyors regulated by RICS and adhering to its strict code of conduct.

RICS also has a companion guide titled Reinstating your boundary after extreme weather damage. This guide tells you what steps to take to reinstate a boundary following extreme weather events such as fire, flood or storm damage and where you can go for advice.

RICS member and Chartered Environmental Surveyor, Philip Wilbourn, said of the flooding consumer guide:

“This timely guide will help homeowners prepare as best they can for extreme weather events, which unfortunately are becoming more common and severe due to climate change.

“Flooding has an enormous impact on people's lives, and while we try and mitigate the effects of climate change, consumers should be as best-prepared as possible if a flood hits. Being unprepared can not only cause significant damage but impact on peoples’ physical and mental wellbeing.

“Good preparation also means that consumers affected by flooding can get their property back in its original condition as soon as possible, limiting the potentially devastating impact that floods can bring.”

RICS advises that these free expert guides will assist the public in understanding their property's risk of flooding, help establish a plan of action, and educate them on how best to prepare for such an event and the full range of potential impacts.