9 minute read
Conveyancing: Are your clients flood aware?
Conveyancing:
Are your clients
flood aware? by Tony Rollason
Climate change is making a real and current impact; we only have to look at the after effects of the recent Storm Ciara and Dennis, which brought devastation across the country, including Northamptonshire.
Tony Rollason, Regional Manager, Landmark Information (Legal) www.landmark.co.uk
In the county, we saw a Red flood warning issued on parts of the River Nene, plus many flood alerts issued with main roads made impassable due to the deluge seen by flood waters* 1 . Initial statistics from insurance firm Aviva have shown that there has been a 285% surge in insurance claims to repair damage caused by the storms* 2 .
Flooding is said to cost the UK approximately £600m a year to manage flood defences alone, without considering the economic and emotional damage caused by flood waters.
Due to the increasing concern about flood risk for property owners, the Law Society has recently updated its Flood Risk practice note – the first revision in four years. The practice note provides guidance relating to information sources that better help clients understand the risk that flooding may pose, as well as offer steps that can be taken with regards to insurance and searches.
The practice note includes information relating to the types of flood risks that have the potential to affect property owners. For example, a property doesn’t have to be located next to a river for it to be located in a high risk zone. Flooding from surface water or groundwater is increasingly common and something that should always be researched in advance of a house purchase.
If flooding is a concern, it is important to investigate whether appropriate insurance cover can be arranged before a property transaction completes, to satisfy the risk criteria of the client’s mortgage lender.
On top of this, the Law Society has also published an updated TA6 Property Information Form and guidance notes. In particular, four areas of property information have been updated relating to Flood Risk, as well Japanese Knotweed, Radon and Septic Tanks. The update provides additional information about a property to prospective buyers and is designed to provide greater transparency.
Yet, while there is a plethora of guidance and support out there, unfortunately, recent research conducted by YouGov for Landmark Information has shown that the majority of consumers in Great Britain are still not checking the flood risk of their homes, despite the increased incidents of flood events happening across the country.
The survey found that 62% of people stated that they have never checked the flood risk level of their home.
When looking at governmental regions, the survey found that people in Scotland are the least likely to have carried out any checks with 77% confirming they had never researched their flood risk. This was followed by those in London (71%), 65% of those in the North West of England and 63% in Yorkshire and Humber. In the East Midlands, 57% of people said they had never checked their flood risk.
The survey also found that just 7% of people in the East Midlands have a flood plan and would know how to put it into action if a flood was to occur. More than a third (34%) admitted that they do not have a flood plan and wouldn’t know what to do if they were to experience a flood, while almost half (47%) said they didn’t have a flood plan, yet felt they would know what to do in the event of a flood.
The survey clearly shows that the public is not necessarily making flood checks part of the research they personally conduct when moving into a new home; just over a quarter (26%) of respondents from the East Midlands said they checked the flood risk of their home before moving in, with 13% saying they checked afterwards.
The results of the survey show a worrying disconnect. The majority of people across the country – 88% – believe their property is not located in an area considered ‘at risk’ of flooding, yet 62% have never checked whether this is the case or not.
According to the Environment Agency, over five million properties are considered to be at risk of flooding – of which 2.4 million properties are at risk from the sea or rivers, and a larger share of 2.8 million properties are at risk of surface water flooding, which isn’t always visibly apparent.
With future projections suggesting that we will witness drier summers and wetter winters, we are urging people to be far more aware of any environmental risk that may affect where they live, particularly when buying a new property as part of the conveyancing process. After all, reliable search reports – which include assessment by environmental consultants – are widely available and provide a wealth of intelligence, that ensures homeowners are aware of potential risks and can prepare accordingly.
www.landmark.co.uk
1 https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/transport/storm-dennis-main roads-closed-flood-alerts-and-power-cuts-acrossnorthamptonshire-1742311 2 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cdl8n2edxj7t/aviva 3 https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/advice/practice-notes/ flood-risk/
www.northamptonshirelawsociety.co.uk 15 Northamptonshire Law Society
How to build robust relationships with your suppliers Geodesys launches drainage and water report for new build homes
The selection and building of your supplier relationships is a continuous process that strives to balance your business needs with the needs of the supplier. In today’s market, where businesses are consistently prospected, using people and organisations that you can trust and rely on to provide a high-quality service is of critical importance. Choosing a supplier can often be the toughest decision so look for one(s), where they can demonstrate expertise and longevity within the industry. Research the array of products the supplier can offer, compare them to competitors and invest time to meet with them. Price will always be a factor, but the cheapest provider is not always the right one so clearly define what it is you are looking for and do your research into what solution accommodates this need. At the top of the agenda for a strong relationship is communication. If this aspect of the process is neglected, then you could risk complications arising which will lengthen the transaction process and potentially be costlier. Having been an account manager for the past 15 years, I cannot emphasise the importance of the relationship being two-way. If the supplier does not know about a certain issue, how can they assist in addressing it? Regular interaction will build a trustworthy relationship which allows for open and honest discussions on product and progress updates, as well as the opportunity to demystify regulation updates, compliance, etc. Geodesys hosts a series of topical CPD workshops at various UK locations throughout the year. These well-attended events provide a platform for our clients to hear from industry experts like Kate Faulkner, mingle with likeminded people and touch base with their account managers. As the relationship and the communication between the organisation and the supplier develops, you will find efficiency will improve and potentially increase operational value too. Offering feedback to the supplier is key in ensuring they can provide a service that meets your expectations and drives continuous improvement. Geodesys offers their customers for example, multiple mechanisms for gaining feedback including surveys, meetings and seminars, which helps us continually improve our systems and service. Conclusion Developing good relationships with your suppliers is not a complicated process. Be communicative, tell them your needs and expectations, treat them fairly, be demanding and be loyal. It’s that simple. Geodesys is a leading provider of conveyancing searches for residential and commercial properties throughout England and Wales. Regardless of the sector you are working in, relationships with your suppliers are essential to your business’s health, reputation and growth. Lauren Lieser, account manager at Geodesys, discusses how to form relationships which are robust and last a lifetime. Conveyancing search provider adds bespoke search option to its service offering Huntingdon, X September 2019- Geodesys – a leading provider of conveyancing searches for residential and commercial properties throughout England and Wales – has announced the launch of its brand new drainage and water report for newly-built homes in the Anglian Water region. The Geodesys NewBuildDW - the first of its kind - provides all the same quality data on water and sewerage connections as the Law Society’s official CON29DW report. However, NewBuildDW focuses specifically on the information relevant to new build residential properties and offers conveyancers a lowerpriced alternative to the full report. It also includes several pages of extra tips and advice for buyers. Jonny Davey, Product Manager for Geodesys, comments: “We are committed to providing all the information home buyers and their legal advisors may need on a property to avoid any unnecessary future risks and additional costs. “We decided to launch this new product after identifying a gap in the market for a comprehensive report which has been specifically tailored to provide information for new build residential properties. All data used in the report is sourced from Anglian Water, which retains liability for its accuracy.” Making conveyancers’ jobs easier, the new report will provide: • 17 questions including two high quality water and sewerage maps • Crystal-clear front-page customer dashboard highlighting information on key questions • Easy-to-use interactive navigation making retrieving information easy for users • Top tips and advice relevant to buyers of new build properties • £5m professional indemnity insurance Jonny continues: “Produced by industry experts, our streamlined report clearly outlines all the most pertinent information. Some data contained in a full CON29DW is simply not available for new builds, so NewBuildDW allows conveyancers to access the key details at a more competitive price.” The NewBuildDW Report is available for £36 (including VAT) in the Anglian Water sewerage area only and for residential properties classed as new build. For more information, please visit: https://www.geodesys.com/ residential-searches/drainage-and-water/new-builddrainage-and-water-report/ For more information about Geodesys visit: http://www.geodesys.com
Want a quick turnaround? Don’t trust to luck – get the CON29DW from Geodesys: no inferring, no ignoring, no insuring.
When you need drainage and water results fast, don’t take chances. With the CON29DW not only is the turnaround time just one to two days but the report also includes far more information than our competitors’ searches. If you’re not using the CON29DW… Good luck.
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