Flood risk and drainage review
Independent review of Flood Risk Assessments, drainage strategies and supporting evidence, including planning-related submissions.
Independent flood-risk expertise
Independent technical insight for flood-risk decisions.
FloodCert provides focused, independent flood-risk and drainage review for defined technical questions, while developing capability to support the emerging UK Flood Performance Certificate framework.
Current commissions include independent review of flood-risk assessments, drainage strategies and supporting evidence. FloodCert is also developing capability aligned with the emerging FPC framework, with the final service model and assessor requirements still to be confirmed.
A property-level view
Questions an FPC should help answer
- Has the property experienced internal flooding?
- Which present-day flood hazards affect the main building?
- How do predicted depths compare with the lowest route of ingress?
- Which features increase damage, disruption or recovery time?
- Are existing resilience measures verified and maintained?
- Does uncertainty require a more detailed assessment?
Independent specialist support
Focused technical review for flood-risk and drainage questions
FloodCert undertakes defined technical commissions where independent hydrology, flood-risk or drainage expertise is useful. The emphasis is on evidence, clear professional judgement and a proportionate scope of work.
Hydrology and flood evidence
Analysis and interpretation of rainfall, historic flooding, flood mapping, hydrological records and other evidence relevant to a defined technical question.
Property flood risk and resilience
Technical interpretation of property-level flood risk, routes of ingress, resilience evidence and practical improvement options where a focused review is appropriate.
Commissions are considered on a project-by-project basis, subject to scope, availability and relevant professional or conflict requirements.
Developing capability
Flood Performance Certificates
Alongside current technical work, FloodCert is developing capability aligned with the emerging UK Flood Performance Certificate framework. The objective is to help translate flood hazard, property characteristics and resilience evidence into a clearer property-level understanding of flood performance.
Flood hazard and history
Use authoritative data, modelled depths, reported flooding and local evidence to understand present-day risk from relevant sources.
Vulnerability and sensitivity
Relate flood depths to the lowest route of water ingress, construction, services, basements, alterations and other property features.
Verified resilience
Record existing resistance, recoverability and preparedness measures without assuming that their presence alone proves effectiveness.
Emerging assessment framework
A tiered, risk-based approach
Current research proposes three sequential assessment levels, with escalation based on flood vulnerability, property sensitivity, the verification of resilience measures and the level of remaining uncertainty.
Baseline for all residential properties
Authoritative public data and homeowner declarations establish flood history, all-source hazard, core property characteristics, lowest route of ingress, flood sensitivity and existing PFR.
Desktop or remote assessor review
More detailed review is proposed where the property is vulnerable with no or unverified PFR, or following renewed internal flooding. Additional sensitivities, drainage or sewer risk and warning availability are considered.
On-site professional assessment
An on-site assessment is proposed where significant uncertainty remains, local hazards or pathways require investigation, PFR cannot be verified remotely, or an existing rating is challenged.
FloodCert's eventual service scope will be finalised when rating, accreditation and assessor-competency requirements are confirmed. Enhanced assessments would be undertaken only by, or in collaboration with, an appropriately registered PFR professional.
FPC technical positioning
Technical capability relevant to the emerging framework
The emerging framework depends on more than collecting a checklist. It requires defensible interpretation of flood data, property-specific pathways, uncertainty and escalation. Those are areas closely aligned with FloodCert's existing technical experience.
Hazard data and uncertainty
Interpret all-source flood mapping, probabilities, depths, historic evidence and limitations, including where area-level datasets may not reliably describe an individual building.
Routes of water ingress
Relate local topography, thresholds, openings, drainage features and flood pathways to predicted water levels and the physical characteristics of the property.
Pilots, methods and quality assurance
Support trial assessments, test escalation triggers, develop reproducible data-collection methods and translate technically complex evidence into clear homeowner guidance.
FloodCert is particularly well suited to technical development, pilot work and future Standard+ style desktop or remote assessment, subject to the final competency requirements. FloodCert does not currently present itself as an approved FPC assessor or a registered PFR professional.
Additional capability
Other areas of technical expertise
Flood Performance Certificates are the principal focus. Alongside that work, FloodCert can consider selected technical commissions that align closely with its core flood-risk expertise.
Independent flood-risk and drainage review
Technical review of Flood Risk Assessments, drainage strategies and supporting evidence, including planning-related submissions.
Hydrology and flood-evidence analysis
Interpretation of rainfall, historic flooding, hydrological records, mapping and other evidence relevant to a defined question.
Flood-risk mapping and data interpretation
Independent interpretation of flood maps, modelled information, property searches and other technical evidence for a defined property or decision.
Property flood risk and resilience evidence
Technical interpretation of property-level flood risk, existing resilience evidence and potential improvement options, with clear treatment of limitations and residual risk.
Specialist consultancy is considered selectively, subject to scope, availability and any relevant professional or conflict requirements.
About FloodCert
Hydrology, engineering and property flood expertise
FloodCert Ltd was established to develop rigorous and understandable Flood Performance Certificates for UK properties.
The business is founded by Dr Sam Bray CEng C.WEM MCIWEM, a Chartered Civil Engineer and Chartered Water and Environmental Manager. He holds a PhD in computational hydraulics and has extensive experience in hydrology, hydraulic modelling, flood-risk assessment and the critical interpretation of complex flood evidence - capabilities directly relevant to hazard-data quality, flood pathways, routes of ingress and proportionate escalation.
That combination supports a critical and transparent approach: examining not only what a flood-risk output says, but how it was produced, where uncertainty remains and what the evidence means for a particular decision or property.
Contact FloodCert
Discuss a flood-risk project or register interest in future FPCs
Contact FloodCert to discuss an independent flood-risk or drainage commission, or to register interest in future Flood Performance Certificate work and pilot assessments.