Urban Homes Face Growing Flood Risk
Eight out of ten homes at high risk of flooding in England are located in urban areas, according to an analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF). The study highlights that social housing tenants are particularly vulnerable to the financial impacts of flooding.
Research indicates that 839,000 homes in towns and cities are now classified as being at high risk of surface water flooding, marking a threefold increase since 2018.
Constituencies such as Thurrock, Basildon, Bootle, Sefton, and Southport have the highest proportions of homes at risk. London areas including Barking and Tottenham also rank in the top ten and have the greatest share of social housing tenants.
Social Housing and Vulnerability
Alistair Smyth, director of policy and research at the NHF, stated:
“With surface-water flooding a fast-growing threat in towns and cities, this poses a direct risk to people and families living in social housing.
Our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can handle, and social housing residents are more exposed, less protected and least able to absorb the financial shock when floods hit. While housing associations operating in higher risk areas are investing significant time and resource into protecting residents, this is a national risk that needs a national response.”
The Environment Agency (EA) defines a home as being at high risk if it has at least a one in 30 chance of flooding each year. Factors such as extreme rainfall, aging infrastructure, and rapid urbanization contribute to the increasing threat.
Surface-water flooding occurs when rainwater is not absorbed into the ground or drained properly, causing urban flooding. The EA projects that the number of properties at risk could triple over the next 50 years.
Disproportionate Impact on Social Housing Residents
The NHF emphasizes that social housing residents, predominantly in urban areas, bear a disproportionate burden. In the ten most affected urban constituencies, about one in four households live in social housing.
Social tenants are less likely to have contents insurance due to cost, increasing their financial exposure to water damage. Approximately one in three of England’s poorest households have contents insurance, compared to nine in ten homeowners.
Tracey Garrett, chief executive of the National Flood Forum charity, called for a fundamental change in urban water management, noting overwhelmed drainage systems due to climate change.
“Every week we hear from people whose homes have been inundated with filthy water, often containing sewage, and many have been flooded multiple times,” Garrett said.
There is growing concern that those living in rented or social housing, and on lower incomes, are the ones being hit hardest.
These households are often located in higher-risk areas but have the least ability to adapt or protect their homes. Many are experiencing repeated flooding, with little clarity on who is responsible for fixing the problem or how long-term solutions will be delivered.
Often people are afraid to speak out or report flooding due to feeling that doing so may affect their tenancy.”
Personal Impact: A Social Housing Tenant’s Story
Ann Hoyles, 64, a social housing tenant in Warrington, described how her bungalow was devastated by flooding on New Year’s Day last year. She has health issues including arthritis and had invested her life savings in renovating the home and garden, considering it her “forever home.”
She said:
“I had heard of flooding in that area before but I was told the problem had been sorted. And with social housing you don’t get many options of what you can refuse, so I took it.”
“I lost everything. The water was contaminated so it ruined everything. I’m on crutches so I couldn’t walk out and had to be rescued in a boat. It was a nightmare, I couldn’t sleep as I had no idea where I was going to live.”
Although she could afford contents insurance, she opted for the cheapest policy due to limited funds, which caused difficulties when making a claim.
“I didn’t have a lot of money so I just had to opt for the cheapest one, and it meant I did have a lot of issues when it came to claim,” she said.
Housing Association Faces Rising Costs
Paul Warburton, director of housing services at Torus housing association, which owns Hoyles’s home, said the organization spent £500,000 addressing the flood damage, only 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 installed, new homes we could’ve built,” he said. “And social housing is a precious commodity, there’s such massive demand.”
Warburton noted that flooding is becoming one of the biggest financial challenges for the association.
“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,” he said.
“We’ve had flood warnings on a number of sites, so every time it rains we dread it. If this keeps happening we’re probably going to end up with about 100 properties that no one wants to live in, and then what do we do with them?”
