Flood risk
Flood guards are in the garage and were not fitted during the visit. What protection was not demonstrated on the day?
The protection that was not demonstrated is the flood guards actually fitted. They were in the garage and were not put on the openings during the visit, so nobody saw them seal, fit or hold. Owning guards is not the same as showing that they work on this house. The survey has recorded where they were stored. It has not tested a flood, has not measured flood depth, and has not watched a defence in place.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Flood guards only do their job when they are offered up to the doorway, the air brick or the other opening they were made for. In a garage they are stored equipment. Storage does not show the seals, the fixings or whether the set is complete. A government flood check is a separate product from this visit, and it does not demonstrate a guard either. The home survey did not run water against the door and did not pretend to.
Ask the seller to fit the guards at a further visit if you need to see the seal, or accept that this report has not demonstrated them. Tell the solicitor the guards stayed in the garage. Do not tell an insurer or a lender that flood protection was proved. If you want a flood-risk check from the public service, that is another search, not a replay of this inspection.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were the flood guards left in the garage and not fitted?
- What seal or fit was therefore not demonstrated?
- Has any flood depth been left unmeasured?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not treat stored guards as protection that was shown to work.
- Ask to see them fitted if the seal matters to you.
- Keep a flood-risk search separate from this visual visit.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the guards are branded for this door, were they proved?
A brand shows a product intended for an opening. It does not show the guard fitted on the day. The survey left them in the garage and did not demonstrate the seal. Intention is not a test. The product stayed on the shelf.
Does a dry doorstep mean the house will not flood?
No. A dry step on the day is weather, not a flood test. Depth was not measured, and the guards were not fitted. The survey has not demonstrated protection, and it has not predicted a future flood. Storage is not a demonstration.