Homeowner Advice

General tips and advice for homeowners covering maintenance, seasonal tips and everyday property care.

Beat The Floods – Top Tips For Flood Protection

20th February 2019

When they hit the UK, floods can cause devastating damage to homes and possessions, so if your home is in a medium or high flood risk area, it is important that you take measures to keep you, and your possessions, safe. Check out our top tips to minimise flood damage and protect your property if your home is at risk of flooding.

Stay Informed

There is no use panicking, but it is a good idea to stay informed. Keep an eye on weather reports and the Environment Agency’s flood warning page to see if you need to take measures to protect your property.

Protect Your Home

If you know you are at risk of flooding, make sure you have sandbags that you can use to protect your home. By placing sandbags at your doors, you can reduce the flood risk. If a flood breaches your external doors, additional sandbags at porch and other interior doors can prevent further damage.

Move Valuables

Although most items can be replaced, some things, such as items of sentimental value, books and photos can’t. If you are in a severe flood risk area, or live in a property that is prone to flooding, move irreplaceable items or items of high value to the upper floors of your property.

Protect What You Can

It is not viable to move everything you own out of harm’s way, but you can move your most precious items of furniture away from rooms most likely to flood (e.g. lower levels and rooms nearest to external doors). Soft furnishings, such as rugs, can be rolled up and stored on the upper floors or on tables and work surfaces. Curtains can be taken down or looped up over the rails, so that they are not near the floor.

Be Prepared

If the risk of flooding is severe, make sure that you have a list of useful contacts, including your insurance provider and local traders that you can call upon to do emergency repairs. In the event of evacuation, have an overnight bag containing ID, money and any essentials, such as medication, so that you can leave if you need to.

If you are affected by a flood, or if you want to take measures to protect your home against flooding in the long term, Trust a Trader can help. All the traders in our directory have been checked by us to ensure that they are appropriately qualified and insured. Many are approved by major insurance companies to undertake repairs covered by insurance policies, and all our traders are committed to helping people within their local community. We will do our best to help you to find the local trader you are looking for but in the meantime stay warm and, above all, stay safe.

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Find clear, practical answers to common homeowner advice questions, helping homeowners understand everyday issues, know what checks they can carry out safely, and when it is best to contact a qualified professional.

What home repairs should I never attempt myself?

Gas work - full stop. Any work on gas appliances must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer by law. Structural changes like removing walls, altering roof timbers, or touching anything load-bearing need professional assessment and often Building Regulations sign-off. Electrical work involving the consumer unit or new circuits must meet Part P. And if your property was built before 2000, be aware asbestos may be present - it can only be handled by a licensed specialist.
Which home improvements add the most value to a property?

Improvements that add usable space or modernise the rooms buyers scrutinise most tend to deliver the strongest returns. Loft conversions consistently top the list - adding a bedroom and bathroom can add more value than the work costs in many areas. Kitchen and bathroom updates are next. Open-plan ground-floor extensions connecting to a kitchen-diner have become one of the most sought-after layouts in UK family homes. And energy improvements - insulation, a new boiler, solar panels - are increasingly influencing buyer decisions as running costs become a bigger part of the conversation.
Should I renovate my home or move house?

There's no universal right answer - it depends on your situation. Moving gets you what you want without living through a building site, but stamp duty, estate agent fees, and moving costs can easily add up to tens of thousands of pounds. Renovating lets you stay put and invest in your own property, but comes with disruption and unexpected costs. The most useful comparison: get a clear view of what your home could realistically be worth after the work, and what a move would actually cost end to end. A local estate agent and a builder's quote can give you those two numbers.
What does a home survey actually cover and do I need one when buying?

A survey is an independent assessment of a property's condition carried out by a qualified surveyor - separate from the mortgage valuation, which only tells the lender what the property is worth, not what's wrong with it. A HomeBuyer Report flags visible defects and anything that needs further investigation. A Full Building Survey goes deeper and is worth the extra cost on older, larger, or unusual properties. Given that a house is likely the biggest purchase you'll ever make, skipping the survey to save a few hundred pounds is a false economy - a single missed issue can cost far more to put right.
What should I do before starting any major home improvement project?

Get your paperwork in order before anyone picks up a tool. Check whether you need planning permission or Building Regulations approval. Find out whether a Party Wall Agreement applies. Confirm your home insurance covers you during the works. Get at least three written quotes and make sure the scope of work is clearly agreed in writing with whoever you hire. And have a contingency budget - on almost any renovation, something unexpected comes up. The projects that go smoothly are usually the ones that were properly planned before they started.
What is the difference between freehold and leasehold and why does it matter for home improvements?

If you own the freehold, you own the property and the land it sits on outright - you can generally do what you like subject to planning rules. If you own a leasehold property (common with flats), you own the right to live there for the remaining lease term, but the freeholder owns the building. This matters for home improvements because many leases require you to get the freeholder's written permission before making alterations - sometimes even internal ones. Always check your lease before starting any work, as doing alterations without the required consent can cause problems when you come to sell.

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