Starting to assess flood damage to residential and non-residential (commercial) property and considering the ‘other’ losses
Residential property
For residential properties (homes) a typical assessment of flood damages will look at:
- Damages to residential property;
- Damage to vehicles;
- The cost of temporary or alternative accommodation;
- Health impacts of flooding.
To understand more about this topic, see Level 2.
Non-residential (commercial) property
A typical appraisal for non-residential property (NRP) will include:
- Identifying the type of NRPs at risk (these vary considerably more than residential properties)
- Calculating the floorspace for each premises (as damage values are provided in pounds per square metre (£/m²)
- Disruption to businesses resulting from an interruption of activities.
To understand more about this topic, see Level 2.
Assessing the ‘other’ losses from flooding
In addition to the direct damages to residential and commercial property, flooding can have serious indirect, or secondary, impacts on other assets and public utilities; such as schools, hospitals and transport networks. We call these ‘other’ losses.
Answering ‘ yes’ to any of the questions below may indicate that it is worth considering ‘other’ flood losses. Does the area at risk of flooding include:
- A major road (a motorway or major trunk road)?
- A primary or grid electricity substation (these are the larger stations that distribute power)?
- A sewage or water treatment works?
- A railway line or rail station likely to suffer from flooding?
- Any public building or other asset (e.g. hospitals or schools) that have been flooded or affected by flooding in the past?
To understand more about this topic, see Level 2.
