Flooding - protecting your home

There are two ways you can adapt your home for flooding: resistance and resilience.

Resistance - stopping water entering your home

Flood resistance must be installed as a complete package. You should block every entry point eg doors, air-bricks, gaps round pipes, sinks and toilets. Flood resistance is not recommended for floods deeper than one metre, as the weight of water could damage your home. Because this must be installed as a whole package, you should seek advice from a specialist.

Contact your home insurance provider. If you're in a flood risk area, you may be able to reduce your premium by carrying out adaptations.

Resilience - reducing flood damage costs and recovery time

Unlike resistance, improvements can be made individually. Many of the measures can be done while redecorating, for little or no extra cost.

Quick wins

• Store valuables and important documents upstairs or on a high shelf
• When you are redecorating your home or refitting a kitchen, make sure you incorporate flood resilience measures wherever possible

More ways of protecting your home against flooding

How to adapt your home to protect against flooding (PDF)
How to adapt your home to protect against flooding (RTF)