New research recommends introducing Flood Performance Certificates (FPCs) for all new-build properties.
FPCs are similar in concept to Energy Performance Certificates, and are designed to provide a formal assessment of a property’s resilience to flooding.
Research by Ardent Consulting Engineers, commissioned by Flood Re, highlights that the current planning system has no mechanism to track property flood resilience measures in new-build developments, making it difficult to establish which properties have been built with flood resilience measures in place, and which haven’t.
Building regulations do not mandate property flood resilience (PFR) and planning conditions are vague. The research suggests PFR is often an after-thought, and rarely included, even after risk has been identified through modelling.
Ardent has proposed a new framework to deliver FPCs through the planning system by imposing verification and long-term transparency of flood mitigation and PFR measures in all new-build housing in England.
Flood Re, which receives a subsidy from the government to purchase insurance so that households that would not be able to get insurance in an open market can access affordable premiums, believes FPCs are critical to driving the uptake of PFR as insurance returns to risk-based pricing from 2039.
The first pilots of the FPC will start by the end of 2026, with the potential for new-builds to be a subsequent pilot deployment.
Jonathan Kassian, head of flood resilience, Flood Re, said: “Flood Re is committed to the introduction of FPCs and believes the FPC framework can also work for new-builds as part of our wider work towards a market that values actions to increase flood resilience.
“New-builds are not covered by Flood Re, but FPCs for new-builds would complement the planning system and provide a clear, standardised and transferable record for householders, insurers, lenders and other stakeholders. Integrating post-construction records of flood mitigation would strengthen the transparency, confidence, and recognition of flood resilience measures across new housing.”
Brian Cafferkey, director at Ardent Consulting Engineers, said: “While flood resilience is taken account of in the planning system, Flood Performance Certificates provide that step change that ensures independent verification that flood mitigation and property flood resilience measures have been delivered as designed. By creating a trusted, transferable record of as-built resilience information, this will improve transparency, strengthen confidence for homeowners, insurers and lenders, and support more resilient new homes.”
The study proposes a proportionate framework which would not introduce new design requirements or alter planning policy, focused on verifying that flood and PFR mitigation measures approved through the planning process have been delivered.
The proposed post-construction verification stage would be undertaken by independent accredited professionals, with developers submitting relevant as-built information – much of it already collected under other requirements – for review. A Verification Report would confirm flood mitigation measures and inform the FPC, while planning authorities would only verify submission of evidence within existing frameworks, ensuring a proportionate approach without the need for a new regulatory body.
The framework is also in line with emerging proposals for digital property logbooks and property information packs, providing a mechanism to store and transfer verified resilience information, and filling the information/documentation gap identified through the research.
