Aegaea is pleased to announce that Leicestershire County Council has listed us as an appropriately qualified and experienced surveyor to carry out property flood surveys to assist homeowners affected by Storms Babet and Henk in October 2023 and January 2024, respectively.

Leicestershire County Council estimates that over 500 properties in the county were affected by these two storms.

The local authority is administering a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) property flood resilience (PFR) repair grant for local residents affected.

The grant scheme offers up to £5,000 for the works.

There are several steps to applying for the grant, including a property survey.

This survey is to identify the source(s) of flooding in Storms Babet and/or Henk and identify how the homeowner could protect the property to limit the potential for water ingress or similar events recurring or improve the flood resilience/ recoverability of the properties if water could still enter.

To inform the survey and allow for discussions of potential measures, before carrying out a site visit, our consultant will review available third-party information, such as modelled flood level data from the Environment Agency (EA), British Geological Survey (BGS), Local Planning Authority (LPA), and Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA).

We recommend this work before the site visit so the surveyor is well informed of the potential flood risks before setting foot on site.

During the survey, a member of our team will attend the property and discuss the previous flooding incidents with you to understand where water was first observed, how it flowed through the site and into the property, and how long the flooding lasted.

We will then discuss the potential risks, historic flooding, and initial recommendations with you. 

It is important to discuss initial recommendations so that you, as the site owner, can detail your priorities concerning your budget.

We know that some parties may be unable to invest any additional funding above the £5,000 the grant offers.

As such, during our site visit, we will discuss your budgetary constraints, desired standard of protection, and initial recommendations to make sure the measures we recommend are in line with what can be reasonably achieved at your property.

For example, your preference may be to try to keep the water out—a water exclusion strategy—rather than focusing on letting the water in and improving recoverability—a water entry strategy.

Each option will have associated costs, and therefore, it is essential that a surveyor understands the client’s preference and budget in addition to their own professional recommendations. 

Following the site visit, we will write up our findings in a concise report that details the potential flood risk from all sources and summarises the recommendations discussed with the owner on site.

The owner can then use this report to seek quotes for the recommended measures.

Under the grant scheme, £800 (inclusive of VAT) of the £5,000 is available for the surveys.

Potential Cost Savings

If you are applying for funding under the grant in Leicestershire and are aware of local neighbours who may also be considering the same, we encourage you to reach out to us together.

If the property surveys can be carried out consecutively, there may be some cost savings for both parties. 

The grant requires the property survey to be carried out in accordance with the Code of Practice for Property Flood Resilience (BS851188).

All of our surveyors have completed this foundation training, which is administered by the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).

Aegaea is also listed on the Suffolk County Council website to carry out surveys for local residents seeking funding under the scheme in this area. 

Please contact the team today to discuss your requirements and obtain a free quote for the survey.