FloodReady: an action plan to build the resilience of people and properties

A new report sets out a clear path of action for flood resilience over the next 10 years.

An independent review of property flood resilience was commissioned by the Environment Agency in January 2025, with the aim of improving the flood readiness of the built environment. This report presents the review and sets out an action plan for key stakeholders. The NHF sits on the leadership group of the FloodReady Taskforce, which was convened to support the review and develop the action plan.

Property flood resilience (PFR) is used to describe localised measures that limit the entry of floodwater into properties (resistance measures) or minimise the impact of any floodwater that does get inside (recovery measures). The action plan published today identifies practical and meaningful ways to improve PFR in England.

Background

It’s clear that climate change is already having a profound impact on this country. Increased incidents of flooding pose a significant and escalating risk to our homes, with devastating financial and emotional consequences for residents.

The new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) found that around 6.3 million properties in England are currently at risk of flooding, a figure likely to increase to eight million by 2050. This is roughly one in four properties.

It’s not just those properties located in current high flood risk areas (near rivers and coastlines). With the rising risk of surface water flooding, we can expect urban areas and previously unaffected regions to become more and more impacted.

As a sector, we need to adapt to this new climate reality, which is why the NHF is now prioritising climate resilience as an important part of our new business strategy. Our work with the Floodready Taskforce is part of this, and we are pleased to see the report published today as part of Flood Action Week 2025.

The recommendations in the report are focused on six themes, including establishing a reliable and consistent market for PFR, developing trusted and accessible advice and developing regulatory and legislative frameworks that incentivise this work.

For social landlords, we shaped the specific recommendation that they ‘develop clear and co-ordinated strategies to prepare for and mitigate flood risk for their tenants and homes’, and that they consider how measures could be ‘taken alongside those to improve energy efficiency, building safety and decency’.

Building on our already-published flooding toolkit, the NHF will support its members to undertake these actions over the coming five years.

Read report

Who to speak to

Charlotte Rogers

Charlotte.Rogers@housing.org.uk

FloodReady: an action plan to build the resilience of people and properties

Background

Who to speak to

Charlotte Rogers

Related content