Is Fracking the Future?

The issue of fracking has received a huge amount of media attention and coverage in recent weeks and continues to divide the nation’s opinion. The process, which involves drilling into shale rock and pumping water, sand and chemicals into the ground, is opposed by many due to its supposed links with contamination of groundwater, pollution of air by leaking methane and seismic activity.  According to an independent government-commissioned report, two minor earthquakes in Blackpool back in 2011 were attributable to fracking, and this has served to antagonise opponents to fracking in the UK further.  

However, despite these concerns many others continue to advocate the process of fracking, claiming it to be a relatively robust and cost effective way of extracting natural fuel from the ground. The UK government continues to urge the country to ‘get behind fracking’ in a bid to ensure energy self-sufficiency for future decades.

So, how exactly does fracking work? At the most simplistic level, a mixture of water, sand and chemicals is pumped into ground. The subterranean rock then fractures under the increased pressure, allowing trapped gas to be released. The gas is then collected on the surface. The idea is not a new one and has existed in the US since the 1970s, yet has only recently been put into significant production due to technological advancements. As well as the UK, many other countries have also recently given fracking ventures permission to begin drilling in the search for the much-needed fuel we need to make our society function.

It appears that whichever technique is used, extracting fossil fuels from the land will always remain a contentious topic. Although we already have a number of current or approved fracking sites across Kent, Sussex, Staffordshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Scotland and South Wales, as well as more in the pipeline, the future of fracking in the UK still remains uncertain. The South Downs National Park Authority recently successfully rejected drilling plans, so the presence of natural gas does not in itself point to the development of an imminent fracking site.

However, the unavoidable fact of the matter is that the need for an independent energy-supply is ever-increasing, particularly with fears growing of a Russian gas switch-off. Certainly, more research is needed to make fracking cleaner and safer and serious attention should once again be given to the development of new ways to harness renewable sources of energy.

Landmark Information Group’s Energy and Infrastructure report provides information on existing and planned energy developments, for further information email: helpdesk@landmark.co.uk

Author: Ben Furlong, Senior Consultant, Argyll Environmental

Flood - Myth or reality?

With flooding increasingly in the news, you could be forgiven for thinking that the nature and extent of the problem in this country is getting worse. The issue is particularly pertinent for those contemplating a new property purchase. The recent Planning Practice Guidance from the Department for Communities and Local Government has certainly raised awareness of the need to take flooding hazards seriously, thereby significantly reinforcing the need for good quality data and advice.

So, should we believe the shock headlines?  What is the reality, and how does one establish whether a particular property will face costly and life-threatening hazards, or whether the perceived risk may be unfounded and won’t impact on the use or enjoyment of the property at all?

Being well briefed on the degree of risk is key to making investment decisions, and this is where the quality of information can make all the difference.  One company that has invested significantly in obtaining in-depth, reliable data is Landmark Information Group, which uses the statistics as the basis of its reports on flood mapping, which in turn are used by property developers and planning consultants to support property investment decisions.

However, we need to be clear on terms. There are many different flooding mechanisms, but flooding typically results from the interplay of a number of different variables at any one point. Breaking down flood risk according to only a single mechanism is unhelpful, and results largely from a fragmented approach to mapping the problem.  

What is a Flood and how does it impact on property?

A flood is described as "where land not normally covered by water becomes covered by water."

Flooding can happen even if you don't live near a river, sea or watercourse.  During periods of heavy rain the capacity of the ground to infiltrate rainfall can be exceeded, and drainage systems can become overwhelmed by the high rate of water reaching them in a short time. Furthermore if the ground is already saturated then the runoff will be enhanced and more rapid.

Flooding can devastate lives and cause serious damage to your property.  It is common sense to avoid purchasing a property in a flood risk area, but with careful consideration and accurate assessment it might be that the risks are minimal and acceptable and can be managed to prevent intolerable damage and risk of injury. In this case, you could still proceed with caution. 

First and foremost however, if you are a property owner in a flood prone area it is essential that you understand whether you are at risk, so access to good quality data is vital.  If you live in an area at risk it is important to plan in advance for flooding that could occur.

Being prepared can make all the difference and is your most powerful tool for dealing with flooding.  This can include:

• Registering with the Environment Agency’s flood warning scheme (https://fwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/app/olr/register)
• Prepare a Flood Evacuation Plan;
• Undertake a property level survey to establish likely points of water entry;
• Incorporate permanent Flood Resistance measures designed to keep water out. Some examples include raising water resisting external doors and windows, raising thresholds, sealant around external doors, windows, walls and service entry point;
• Incorporate temporary Flood Resistance measures designed to keep water out. Some examples include the use of sand bags, de-mountable or free-standing barriers and appliance vent covers;
• Incorporate Flood Resilience measures – designed to permit water entry but designing the interior of buildings to minimise damage and speed up the clean-up operation.  Some examples include water compatible internal walls and floors, raised utilities, and removable fixtures and fittings.

The six types of flood risk that all prospective purchasers need to be aware of

1)    River (Fluvial) flooding: Inundation from rivers and watercourses, usually due to excessive runoff from rainfall, leading to overtopping of river banks. This can also occur from inundation of areas outside the floodplain due to the influence of bridges, embankments, and other features that artificially raise water levels.

River flooding usually impacts adjacent low-lying properties and can cause widespread and extensive damage due to the large volume of water and high velocity of flow.  Debris can also cause further damage and, depending on the setting, flooding can ‘back up’ in the catchment area and become longer-lasting and more difficult to drain away. Fast-flowing floodwaters can also be a threat to peoples' and animals' safety and can damage or even demolish buildings.  The Environment Agency estimates that, when combined with coastal flooding, about 2.4 million properties in England are at risk.

2)    Surface water (pluvial) flooding: Usually associated with extreme rainfall, but may also occur when rain falls on land that is already saturated or has a low permeability. In each case, the rainfall generates overland flow which can lead to flooding before the runoff is able to enter a drain, sewer or watercourse.

It may be triggered or made worse in urban areas where the ground consists of hard surfaces such as concrete or tarmac. It is estimated by the Environment Agency that beyond those in the fluvial risk areas above, a further 2.6 million properties are at risk of surface water flooding in England.  Extensive flash flooding of this type can follow periods of high intensity rainfall, and the harm to property is related to local features in the immediate vicinity rather than overall position in the catchment.  The lack of warning can be a particular problem.  However, due to the flash nature of this type of flood, it may recede as quickly as it arrived, and the damage to property may be less serious if the mopping-up and drying-out process can proceed quickly.  Also, it may affect your garden and the street rather than your home, and features as simple as a raised kerb may provide property level protection, although it would be wise to review how reliable these protections are.

3)    Groundwater flooding: Occurs when the water table rises after prolonged rainfall, only to emerge above ground level away from a watercourse, or where high river levels drive water through the river banks. This is most likely to occur in areas underlain by permeable rock, and can seep directly into properties or exacerbate other forms of flooding. 

This type of flooding can last for weeks, leading to a higher degree of harm to buildings because of the impact on the fabric of the building from prolonged saturation.  Groundwater flooding is more of a seasonal issue because most aquifers need several weeks of high recharge to fill up before the water table overflows. 

Irrespective of whether water shows at the surface, rising groundwater levels are posing an increased threat to buildings with basements. Such flooding may occur separately or in conjunction with flooding from other sources, such as surface water flooding. ESI estimates that up to one third of flooding problems in the UK are due to groundwater, which typically causes more property damage than other forms of flooding, making this one of the major flood risks when it comes to property.  However, the Environment Agency are yet to include this data on their maps, so we cannot yet put this risk into the same context as their mapped 5M properties in England within areas at risk of fluvial and pluvial flooding.

Thankfully, the slower flow rates associated with groundwater mean that risk to life is significantly lower.  Nevertheless, information on groundwater is clearly vital to the overall understanding of flood risk and, with the Environment Agency reporting that last winter 24% of flooding was caused by groundwater, prospective purchasers need to review the data carefully.

4)    Coastal flooding: Caused by high tides and/or inclement weather breaching sea defences and inundating the surrounding area.  It can also cause backing up in rivers and groundwater systems that will then flood upstream.  Coastal flooding may affect not only a property on the coast itself, but also property in tidal rivers some distance inland, due to floodwater being forced up the tidal reaches of rivers and estuaries by raised sea levels and gales. 

Coastal flooding is often associated with high energy storm events, posing a very real risk to life.  Those considering purchasing a coastal property, particularly where the coastline is very exposed to storms, should review mapped flood zones carefully and consider the wider disruption that could arise, as well as whether flood water could reach within their own property boundaries.

5)    Sewer flooding: Sewers are generally not sealed and during periods of extreme rainfall can overflow into the surrounding subsurface, ground surface, or into properties via drains, toilets and basements, causing considerable and costly damage, along with many unpleasant and harmful consequences.

Groundwater can be the decisive factor, and typically the cause is too much water entering the sewers from storm run off, or where rising groundwater may infiltrate the sewer network.  Many of the water companies have access to the ESI national groundwater flood risk data and this is helping them to implement sewer infiltration reduction plans that should help to reduce this problem over the next five years, but sewer flooding currently remains a very significant problem in some areas.

6)    Reservoir flooding: The UK has approximately 5,000 reservoirs, and flooding can occur if there is a catastrophic failure of a reservoir wall or embankment. Fortunately dam failures in the UK are rare, but have occurred to considerable catastrophic effect in the past.   While the chances of reservoir failure are very small, the consequences could be fatal and affect large areas many miles from the dam itself.

Is flood risk increasing?

There are several aspects to this:

1)    Some risks such as groundwater flooding have been largely ignored, but new data has demonstrated the full nature and extent of the problem, in turn leading to increased recognition of a risk that has always been present.  This is good news because the data enables risk management action to be taken and problem locations can either be avoided or mitigation measures incorporated.

2)    Climate change is leading to rising sea levels, and these in turn increase coastal flooding risk.  There is a very real increase in risk over time, but the fact that it is largely predictable means that the problems can be managed if attention is paid now.

3)    Climate change is leading to different rainfall patterns in the UK, with long-term averages over a 30-year period showing an increase in annual rainfall of about 5% from 1961-1990 to 1981-2010.   Preliminary research from the Met Office suggests we may have also seen a change in the nature of the rain we get, with 'extreme' daily rainfall becoming more frequent.

Increased rainfall can lead to an increased likelihood of flooding, and there is a very real threat that the risk will increase over time. However, it is highly uncertain in its impact due to limitations in climate prediction models.  The latest work from the Climate Change Committee, for example, suggests that the risk of flash flooding may increase in frequency due to more high intensity rainfall, but severity may remain at similar levels.

4)    In the case of groundwater there may be a real increase in the number of areas that are at risk due to the impact of seasonal recharge of the aquifer and the increase in wet winters.  Clearly more work is needed, but in the meantime a precautionary approach is sensible, and a ‘factor of safety’ is recommended.

5)    Catchments are changing.  Over many decades, urban development the increased amount of ‘impermeable surfaces’ and led to more runoff in catchments where the natural catchment response would be more attenuated and less flood-prone. The recent move towards sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) such as attenuation ponds and soakaways is intended to return catchments partly back to their natural state to reduce flood risk, but the regulations have been delayed by Defra so are not yet fully in force.

6)    Traditionally flood defence designs used over-sized flood channels engineered to remove water as fast as possible, but these did not sufficiently recognise the impact further downstream this may cause.

In summary, we have seen some increase in certain risks, but the biggest change in recent years is actually the recent increased access to better data, and in general this is helping us to more accurately identify risks that have always been present.  A flood risk map such as that provided by Landmark Information Group can form part of a structured risk assessment process enabling those advising on property purchases to decide whether the next steps indicated by the initial risk screening report towards site-specific risk assessment, or risk mitigation measures, or indeed in extreme cases, withdrawal from the purchase process, are warranted.

What to do next if your proposed purchase falls within any mapped flood zone?

If the property has been identified as located in an area at risk, it is important to appreciate that this does not automatically mean that the property will flood.

The risk is based on the probability that a flood event will occur based on the environmental setting of the property and the climatic conditions it is exposed to.  If your property is classified as being “at risk”, it simply means that your property is located in an area that is considered to be hazardous in terms of flood risk, but the risk isn’t actually present unless the correct environmental and climatic conditions occur and the local features immediately surrounding the property do not prevent it impacting the property.

There are a number of features including property level protection that may prevent a real risk arising, so the best response will be to discuss the matter with your legal advisor and, if appropriate, consider the next level of detail in a desktop mapping report to identify the true extent of the problem.

Author: Mark Fermor, Managing Director, ESI Limited

Further reading:  

http://esinternational.com/what-is-groundwater-flooding/

or http://www.landmark.co.uk/

Department for Communities and Local Government (2012). National Planning Policy Statement.  http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/policy/

Department for Communities and Local Government (2014). Planning Practice Guidance. http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/

Understanding Groundwater and its role in flooding

What is groundwater and why is it a problem?

Rainfall runs off into rivers and the sea, evaporates, and percolates into permeable ground to recharge aquifers.  These processes are collectively known as the water cycle, and the part that flows underground is called groundwater.  It normally re-emerges at springs and into river beds and can keep the rivers flowing for months without rainfall.  It is clearly a slower moving part of the system, and flow through rocks is often a hundred times slower than surface flows.  It is better to think of flow through a permeable sponge rather than the popular conception of underground rivers or lakes, although in extreme cases such as karstic limestone groundwater may have dissolved channels to become fast flowing underground rivers, and the Chalk in England tends to have fast flow in fissures, which explains why Chalk areas suffer most of the UK’s highest groundwater flood risk.

After a large rainfall event we see surface water flood where it exceeds local drainage capacity and may pond for a short time, and also high river levels leading to flood plain inundation, but these will recede in a few hours or days.  Because groundwater moves so slowly the rainfall tends to accumulate over the winter months leading to seasonal peak levels in the spring and lows in the autumn (rainfall is actually distributed quite evenly through the year on average in Britain, and it is the low evaporation in the colder winter months that leaves more water for run off and recharge).  This means that groundwater flooding also generally peaks in the spring.

Under average conditions the zones where groundwater discharges to the surface or river channels are well defined, but after high rainfall the flows will emerge in different places to cause groundwater flooding.  Just as flows are slower than rivers, once flooding occurs it will recede a lot more slowly too, leading to flooding for far longer (3 months is not unusual).  It is harder to observe the processes that lead to groundwater flooding than those that happen on the surface, so uncertainties are significantly greater.  However, a reasonable understanding can be achieved once the available evidence is put into a coherent framework for how the system works (known as the conceptual model).

So, groundwater flooding occurs when sub-surface water emerges from the ground at the surface or into Made Ground and structures.  This may be as a result of persistent rainfall that recharges aquifers until they are full; or may be as a result of high river levels, or tides, driving water through near-surface deposits. Groundwater flooding is characterised by:

• Water flows to the surface or into basements, services ducts and other subsurface infrastructure rising up through floors or directly from the ground. This may be seen as diffuse seepage from the ground, as emergence of new springs or as an increase in spring flows
• Flooding may last a long time compared to surface water flooding, from weeks to months. Hence the amount of damage that is caused to property may be substantially higher. Likewise closures of access routes, roads, railways etc may be prolonged
• Flooding may occur with a delay following periods of high rainfall rather than immediately during storms
• Emergent groundwater tends to be clear and relatively clean compared to muddy fluvial flood waters, but contamination by sewers and brownfield sites poses additional hazards
• Groundwater flooding or a shallow water table prevents rainfall infiltration and increases the risk of surface water flooding.  This means that many surface floods are actually driven by groundwater conditions.  But consideration of surface water in isolation and lack of evidence for groundwater conditions leads to incorrect analysis of overall causes.

It is also important to understand that surface water, rivers, groundwater and other factors all interact in permeable catchments, contributing to overall flood risk.

Whilst groundwater flooding is generally less hazardous to human health than surface flooding, it is more hazardous to property producing 2 to 4 times the damage to building fabric and greater disruption to economic activity due to the longer duration of flood events. Also, the impact may be less about surface water depths or velocities and more about the extended saturation of the shallow subsurface with the following consequences:

1.            Damage to basements and other structures below ground

2.            Damage to infrastructure such as buried services and ducts

3.            Sewer flooding

4.            Water damage to property, cultural heritage, crops or sensitive habitats due to saturated conditions

5.            Leaching of contamination from brownfield sites and other sources of contamination

6.            Increased likelihood, intensity and duration of surface water flooding due to saturated ground conditions

7.            Increased cost of construction projects, which will need to incorporate preventive groundwater control measures to prevent what would otherwise cause harm.

This winter has seen the highest rainfall on record, leading to the highest groundwater levels and therefore record groundwater flooding and groundwater driven surface water flooding.  The Environment Agency has reported that 24% of flooding incidents are categorised as groundwater flooding.  Given that flooding will often appear as a surface event it is no surprise that groundwater flooding is under-reported, so the full extent of the problem will be bigger than this.  Furthermore, it is helpful to understand that groundwater will interact with the other parts of the water cycle described above so that flooding events will often have some groundwater component, and even where flooding may appear to be a simple result of the overtopping of a river bank, the consequences will be more severe in those parts of the flood plain that are permeable because of the longer time it will take for the flooding problems to recede.  For example, with the River Thames flooding events of February 2014 it is those areas such as the Chalk winterbournes, Oxford and Wraysbury where the consequences will tend to be excacerbated by long duration as the groundwater system slowly recedes.  Because risk is a combination of likelihood and consequences we can see that overall risk associated with the permeable parts of catchments will have higher risks, even if these are associated with river water driven events rather than pure groundwater emergence.

Current groundwater problems will continue for several months, but if we see a return to average rainfall from now on, the more extreme events will recede to more normal levels in a few weeks.  However, now that the system is ‘primed’, further wet periods will lead to more rapid groundwater flooding.  On the plus side, this year is giving us excellent data to further improve the models and future predictive capability!  With careful consideration of groundwater flooding risks it will be possible to plan better land development to avoid problems in the future. 

Landmark in partnership with ESI will be incorporating groundwater flood risk data into a wide range of its risk assessment reports including Homecheck Flood, Envirosearch Residential, SiteSolutions Residential, Sitecheck Combined, SiteSolutions Commerical and SiteSolutions Combined. 

ESI is building an extensive national database to help improve knowledge of groundwater flooding and we are keen to hear from you if you have any incident to report or information on where our map can be improved.   We are also pleased to help if you are facing groundwater flooding issues, and give a free initial consultation, so please do not hesitate to get in touch on markfermor@esinternational.com

Glossary of Terms

Groundwater is water that normally resides in the subsurface; it fills the pore spaces within rocks

Groundwater flooding is defined as the emergence of groundwater at the surface or into Made Ground or infrastructure away from perennial surface water bodies

An aquifer is a body of rock containing water that is sufficiently permeable to allow significant amounts of groundwater flow.  Principal aquifers in the UK are limestones (including Chalk) and sandstones

The water table is an irregular surface that generally resembles a gentler version of the overlying ground surface. It rises when recharge adds more water to the ground, and falls when drought reduces the recharge

Recharge is rainfall that has not been evaporated, used by plants or run off to streams; and has got through the soil zone into an aquifer

Permeability is a measure of how easily water can flow through a rock: aquifers are highly permeable, clays are not

Risk is defined (consistent with the Flood and Water Management Act 2010) as ‘a risk in respect of an occurrence assessed and expressed (as for insurance and scientific purposes) as a combination of the probability of the occurrence with its potential consequences. In each case the potential harmful consequences to be considered in assessing risk include, in particular, consequences for

(a)human health

(b)the social and economic welfare of individuals and communities

(c)infrastructure

(d)the environment (including cultural heritage).

Subsidence - Advice for Conveyancers

In his latest blog, Andy Lucas, Managing Director of Property Assure, looks at properties that have been affected by subsidence and the key documents Conveyancers should be obtaining.

The Valuation Survey includes questions pertaining to evidence of movement and subsidence.  (It should be noted that the Valuation Surveyor is not equipped to identify whether the property is at risk of subsidence only if there is evidence of its occurrence – but we’ll revisit this in a later blog).  Where historic subsidence repairs have been identified the Conveyancer should obtain the supporting documentation to verify that any repairs have been undertaken accordance with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) subsidence classification and repair guidelines and or whether an insurance claim was made by the vendor.

There are 2 main documents that should be obtained:

·         It must be remembered that a significant proportion of subsidence repairs do not require underpinning of the foundations.  However, if any underpinning has been carried out it is a notifiable operation under the Building Regulations and as such, inspections and sign off by the Local Council Building Control Officer should have been carried out.  A formal Completion Certificate should be issued by the Council at completion.

·         Where the repair has been undertaken as an insurance claim, the insurer appointed Building Surveyor / engineer should have produced a Certificate of Structural Adequacy.  This is issued under guidance of the Institution of Structural Engineers (1994) although there is no actual contractual or legal requirement for one to be provided and it is not a guarantee. 

So in the event that previous subsidence is identified you should look to obtain the Completion Certificate issued by the Local Authority and Certificate of Structural Adequacy issued by the engineer/ surveyor who specified and periodically inspected any repairs under an insurance claim.   They should both be available from the Property Owner

The first step is to understand your subsidence risk.  If previous cracking or subsidence has been identified it is always worthwhile appointing a Building Surveyor / engineer to undertake a specific check on the property and review any supporting documentation and thereafter identify whether specific further investigations are required (soil samples, monitoring etc). 

Visit www.subsidencesupport.co.uk for more guidance and advice on Subsidence.

Andy Lucas

Managing Director

Property Assure Ltd

The Buy-to-Let Boom

According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the Buy-to-Let market has recorded a five year high following a buoyant quarter from April to June, whereby lenders advanced 40,000 buy-to-let loans worth in excess of £5bn. Year-on-year, the number of landlord mortgages has increased by 19%, while the value of such loans increased by a significant 31% - with loans in the same quarter of 2012 worth £3.9bn.

These statistics paint a clear picture of how buy-to-let lending has become an area of remarkable growth for the mortgage industry, while residential loans struggle to match the steep upwards trajectory. In addition, with the Bank of England confirming that interest rates will stay low for a further three years, we anticipate that the popularity of buy-to-let will continue to grow as investors look for more attractive returns via rental property, in place of cash savings.

Taking all this in to consideration, we do need to remain mindful that where there is a boom, it also carries an increased level of risk, as unscrupulous individuals may look to capitalise on the availability of such products.

In particular, with the FCA imposing universal income verification checks on all owner-occupied mortgages, and the demise of self-certified loans, lenders must remain extra vigilant towards misuse of buy-to-let mortgage products. The reason for this is that as individuals look to circumvent any authorisations imposed on owner-occupied loans, they may look elsewhere to instead fraudulently gain access to mortgage products for which they may otherwise not qualify.

This issue, known as ‘let-to-live' is becoming a growing concern. With the increasing availability and take-up of buy-to-let mortgages, lenders must take steps to ensure they have measures in place to analyse cases that match a predefined risk profile and halt any attempts at accessing funds without proper affordability checks.

We are already working with a number of lenders who have integrated let-to-live alerts into their Q-Guard risk dashboard. By creating the ability to electronically assess any application that meets a set risk profile, lenders can automatically identify any transaction that is outside of its lending policy and act accordingly."

Richard Groom, Product Development Director, Landmark Information Group

July Weather Trigger for Increased Subsidence

Whilst many throughout the country are enjoying the July heat wave, the sunshine does not only bring good news, warns Landmark Information Group. The risk of a full blown subsidence event has been upgraded to ‘moderate’ according to a new report from leading UK arboriculturist OCA UK Ltd**. 

Despite this, thorough checks of a property’s subsidence risk may not always be carried out as standard during the conveyancing process; as a result, many homebuyers may be purchasing a property without realising the dangers or understanding the impact upon value, insurability and saleability.

Chris Taylor, Product Development Director for Environmental – Legal, Landmark Information Group, explains: “A lack of moisture in the soil is one of the main causes of subsidence.  As we are currently experiencing a heat wave which follows a very dry June and is set to continue throughout July, we could expect to see an increase in the number of subsidence claims in the coming months.

“We saw a similar pattern of dry weather in 2003 and 2006, during which time the number of subsidence claims increased significantly.  Furthermore, 2013 has so far has been drier than 2006 and follows a very wet year so we have an unprecedented situation.

  “1 in 5 homes in the UK* (approximately 6.5 million properties) are at risk of subsidence with an average estimated £200-250 million spent on subsidence claims every year. If we see similar claims to those experienced in 2003 and 2006, subsidence could cost the industry as much as – if not more than - £400m. Subsidence is not an issue that is going to go away; in fact, research predicts a more than 50% increase in subsidence over the next 30 years alone***.  It is crucial that buyers know up-front the potential risks of a property they are considering purchasing.”

Andy Lucas, Managing Director of Property Assure, said: “The 2003 subsidence volume was the equivalent of the properties affected by devastating floods in 2007 in Sheffield, Hull and Tewkesbury****. It is not all bad news however; subsidence risk can be mitigated by some simple cost effective steps – the first step is to be aware of a property’s subsidence risk.”

Chris Taylor continues: “In partnership with Property Assure, we have developed our Subsidence Risk Services to remove the burden from solicitors. The reports ensure providing a comprehensive service for clients is very straightforward and provides both solicitors and their clients with peace of mind that all necessary checks have been carried out and that no hidden surprises will be uncovered once the buyers have moved in.

“With a turnaround of just 24 hours for the initial opinion and 10 days for any follow-on site work, Subsidence Risk Services is a quick and convenient method of obtaining the right information, which ensures that the purchase process won’t be delayed by lengthy enquiries or hidden surprises. The report has been designed with both property professionals and homebuyers in mind to ensure that a clear answer is provided and additional services are available for those wishing to investigate further.”

The Subsidence Risk Certificate can be purchased for just £15 + VAT.

For more information on Landmark Information Group, visit www.landmark.co.uk or call 0844 844 9966. For further information on Subsidence Risk Services visit www.subsidencesupport.co.uk.

*British Geological Survey

** Source: OCA Climate News & Newsletter  July13

*** ‘The hidden risks of climate change: An increase in property damage from soil subsidence in Europe’, Swiss RE 2011

****The Pitt Review