Will Flood Performance Certificates make people take action?

Flood Performance Certificates (FPC) will be piloted this year after research suggests the framework would bring transparency to property flood risk and incentivise best practice.

The research was undertaken by Ardent Consulting Engineers and commissioned by Flood Re – the government-led insurance scheme of last resort for older properties at risk of flooding.

The intention is to make FPCs an accepted certification for new-build properties ahead of Flood Re’s exit from the insurance market in 2039.

At that point, flood insurance is expected to return to risk-based pricing with fears premiums will become unaffordable or properties uninsurable in high-risk areas.

Will FPCs encourage developers and homeowners to reduce the risk of flooding?

FPCs would be similar to Energy Performance Certificates, providing an assessment of a property’s resilience to flooding at the point of occupation, sale or underwriting. The FPC would be undertaken by an independent accredited professional.

At the moment, planning assumes that property flood risk has been mitigated in new-build properties, although building regulations do not mandate measures being taken, even if a risk has been identified. And while flood-resilient development is required by national policy, there’s no way to confirm flood resilience work was built-out as planned.

Ardent Consulting believes the move to adopt FPCs would transform the delivery, verification and long-term transparency of flood mitigation in shining a light on compliance.

“While flood resilience is taken account of in the planning system, Flood Performance Certificates provide that step change that ensures independent verification that flood mitigation and property flood resilience measures have been delivered as designed,” said Brian Cafferkey, Director at Ardent Consulting Engineers.

To avoid introducing new design requirements or changing planning policy, the FPC involves developers submitting as-built information – much of it already collected during construction under other requirements – for review. The intention is to introduce FPCs with a limited burden of work while verifying post-construction compliance.

“By creating a trusted, transferable record of as-built resilience information, this will improve transparency, strengthen confidence for homeowners, insurers and lenders, and support more resilient new homes.”

Flood Re believes FPCs will provide “clear, property-level evidence of risk and resilience, allowing insurers to differentiate between properties and recognise and credit the value” of any resilience measures.

“FPCs for new builds would complement the planning system and provide a clear, standardised and transferable record,” says Jonathan Kassian, Head of Flood Resilience, Flood Re. “Integrating post-construction records of flood mitigation would strengthen the transparency, confidence, and recognition of flood resilience measures across new housing.”

The first pilots of the FPC framework will take place in late 2026 with plans for discounted insurance premiums to be introduced by 2028. 

Find out more Read the research or find out more about Flood Performance Certificates