The imperative for surveyors in the immediate aftermath is not to over-react.
Eric Curran is managing partner of DM Hall Chartered Surveyors, based in the firm's Glasgow North office
This winter's shocking, record-breaking level of flooding throughout Scotland has dominated recent news. They have been an unmitigated disaster for the people involved and the effects will be felt for years as victims struggle to put their lives and their properties back together.
But, as the waters recede, the questions about what to do about this seasonal catastrophe remain in full spate and the ruminations about how to prevent such personal and financial tragedies happening again will continue for as many years.
For those involved, one of the first steps may be to call in a surveyor to assess the damage and to give a view of the likelihood of flooding of such magnitude recurring. Even those not directly affected may seek opinion if they are in the immediate vicinity of the event.
But while it is perfectly natural for those in the firing line to want to know how the value of their properties may have been altered, it should also be remembered that surveyors reflect the market, they don't make it.
As last year's RICS UK information paper on flooding succinctly put it, the valuer’s fundamental role is to monitor and reflect market activity when providing an opinion of market value and, while perfect knowledge is not expected, awareness of issues is essential in assessing and analysing market information which may be used as comparable data.
The home surveyor’s role is more concerned with the construction, condition and occupation of a property and consideration must be given to the effect of past, current or future consequences of flooding on the building and grounds.
But what is to be made of the situation of a property which has been flooded for the first time in, say, 50 or 75 years, as happened frequently late last and early this year? It is impossible to say with any certainty that such flooding will, or will not, be an ongoing issue.
The triggers for future judgements on valuation will likely come from the insurance sector, which has specialist tools for risk assessment and a more comprehensive data bank of historic and potential future flood events.
The insurance industry, disconcerted by the flooding of recent years, has already put measures in place to address immediate problems, with the launch in April this year of a scheme to provide affordable insurance in flood-risk areas.
Government-backed Flood Re will be funded by a supplement on all homeowners' policies, averaging £10.50 a year, with the aim of providing subsidised cover for 350,000 homes in the UK at risk of flood damage.
The scheme has been constructed by the industry and the government amid concerns, heightened by this winter's appalling losses, that many homeowners would be unable to obtain insurance or would face impossible premiums.
It may help, but innovative solutions such as waterproofing the lower floors of buildings could also help and here surveyors could have valuable input based on their in-depth knowledge of construction methods and capabilities.
The imperative for surveyors in the immediate aftermath is not to over-react and to strive to take an impartial but informed long-term view of the impacts on property value - which can be affected by insurance postcode decisions as much as by the floods themselves.
It is important to abide by reasonable valuation parameters and not pronounce on matters which can subsequently be challenged in court, such as, for instance, whether or not flooding is likely to recur within a specific period of years.
The RICS guidance addresses the need for information more specific to residential practitioners considering the implications and risk of flooding at or near a residential property for which they are undertaking a valuation or survey.
Until such information is within the professional domain, the best advice for surveyors is not to allow themselves to be pressured into hasty decisions.
