Flood risk
If the flood check says nothing about groundwater, does that mean there is none?
No. GOV.UK’s England service includes groundwater where data is available. Silence can mean the data is not there, not that the ground is dry. The service also says it does not tell you the likelihood for an individual property. A home survey does not fill that gap with a borehole.
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?
High groundwater shows up in buildings as cellars that weep, sumps, and springs in the garden. Those are visible clues, not a geological model. The surveyor should describe what they saw and not upgrade it into a groundwater zone. A dry visit does not retire the question.
Drainage fields for septic tanks also depend on the ground, which is a separate GOV.UK regime about small sewage discharges. Do not use the flood map as a percolation test. If the house is off mains, read the drainage comments on their own. No borehole price is stated here.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did the service say groundwater data was unavailable?
- Did you see a sump, standing water, or a wet cellar?
- Are you keeping sewage drainage and flood risk apart?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the wording of the map result, including what it says it could not show.
- Treat a wet cellar as a building finding, not as a zone you invent.
- Ask your solicitor which searches they have, and do not assume groundwater was included.
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
Is a spring on the title a flood rating?
It is a fact to show the solicitor and the surveyor. It is not automatically a condition rating 3.
Can the surveyor pump the cellar to test it?
Not in an ordinary inspection. A pump test is a different instruction.