A new analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF) reveals that eight out of ten homes in England at high risk of flooding are now located in towns and cities. The study highlights that social housing tenants are disproportionately affected by the financial consequences of flooding.
Key findings of the study
The research identifies 839,000 urban homes at high risk of surface water flooding, a threefold increase since 2018. Constituencies in Thurrock, Basildon, Bootle, Sefton, and Southport have the highest proportion of at-risk homes. Areas of London, including Hackney, Barking, and Tottenham, also feature in the top ten and have the highest proportion of social housing tenants.
Impact on social housing residents
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."
According to the Environment Agency (EA), a home is considered at high risk if it has at least a one in 30 chance of flooding each year. Extreme rainfall, ageing infrastructure, and rapid urbanisation are driving the problem. Surface-water flooding occurs when rainwater cannot be dispersed through normal drainage systems or soak into the ground, and the EA forecasts that the number of properties at risk could treble over the next 50 years.
Financial vulnerability of social tenants
The NHF notes that social housing tenants are less likely to have contents insurance due to cost, leaving them more exposed to financial losses. About one in three of the poorest households in England have contents insurance, compared with nine in ten homeowners.
Tracey Garrett, chief executive of the National Flood Forum charity, called for a "step change" in urban water management. "Every week we hear from people whose homes have been inundated with filthy water, often containing sewage, and many have been flooded multiple times," she said. "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."
Personal stories of flooding
Ann Hoyles, 64, a social housing tenant, said her bungalow in Warrington was ruined by a flood on New Year's Day last year. With health issues including arthritis, she had spent her life savings renovating the property. "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," she said.
Paul Warburton, director of housing services at Torus housing association which owns her home, said the organisation spent £500,000 dealing with the flood, 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. And social housing is a precious commodity, there's such massive demand," he said.
He added that flooding is becoming one of the biggest financial challenges for the organisation, with properties costing more to insure and additional costs for temporary accommodation and moving furniture. "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?"
