Your home is likely to be eligible for Flood Re if it has a domestic council tax band A to H (or the equivalent), is used for private residential purposes, was built before 1 January 2009, and is a single home or a building of two or three homes. You cannot apply to Flood Re yourself. Your insurer decides whether to pass the flood part of your policy to the scheme, so the practical step is to find an insurer that uses it.
Looking for cover for this property?Tell us about it, including any subsidence, flooding or empty periods, and a broker will look for cover.
What are the Flood Re eligibility rules?
Flood Re publishes core criteria that a property must meet for buildings or combined buildings and contents cover. All of them must be met.
| Test | Flood Re rule |
|---|---|
| Council tax | A domestic council tax band A to H, or the equivalent in other parts of the UK |
| Use | Used for private, residential purposes |
| Age | Built before 1 January 2009, meaning construction was completed before then |
| Size | A single residential unit, or a building of two or three residential units |
| Leasehold blocks | Eligible if 3 units or fewer and a freeholder lives in one of the units insured |
| Who decides | The insurer, not the homeowner |
| Scheme end | Flood Re says it will remain in place until 2039 |
Flood Re offers an eligibility tool on its website to help check a specific property, but it is clear that the decision to use the scheme for an eligible property remains with insurance providers.
Why does the 2009 date apply?
The date is about when the home was finished, not when building started. Flood Re says it can only help if construction was completed before January 2009, so a home that was started in 2008 but finished in 2009 or later does not qualify. If you own a newer home in a flood risk area, ask the developer and your conveyancer what flood risk work was done, and keep any flood risk assessment, because it helps when you look for cover.
Ask us for a quote
Tell us about the property and its flood history and we will look for cover for you. Call 01795 841 310 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or send us your details.
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Are buy to let homes and holiday homes eligible?
Often, yes. Flood Re lists residential buy to let properties, holiday homes and second homes, and homes where someone works from home, among the properties expected to be eligible, provided they meet the core criteria. A buy to let that fails those criteria, for example because it is part of a larger block, is not eligible. If you are a landlord, our guide to landlord insurance covers the wider cover you need, and holiday home owners should read about holiday let insurance.
Flood Re also says it will cover a tenant’s or individual’s contents in rented or leasehold properties, even where the building itself would not qualify.
Which properties are excluded from Flood Re?
Flood Re lists properties it would not expect to meet the criteria for buildings or combined cover. They include:
- bed and breakfast premises paying business rates
- blocks of more than three residential flats
- company houses and flats
- properties covered by contingent buildings policies, such as those held by banks
- farm outbuildings
- properties used by freeholders or leaseholders to earn commercial income, including large portfolios
- housing association residential properties, and social housing (which can still get contents cover)
- multi use properties under commercial or private ownership
- static caravan site owners operating for commercial gain
The block of flats rule catches many people out. If you own a flat in a block of four or more, the block falls outside the buildings criteria, whoever arranges the cover, although your own contents can still be eligible. See block of flats insurance, freeholder building insurance and what building insurance covers in a flat.
How does Flood Re work through insurers?
You buy your policy from an insurer in the normal way. Flood Re explains that your insurer can choose to pass the flood risk element of the policy to Flood Re for a fixed price, which Flood Re sets according to your home’s council tax band. Every insurer offering home insurance in the UK pays a levy into the scheme, which Flood Re says raises £160 million every year. If you make a valid flood claim, your insurer pays you and Flood Re reimburses the insurer afterwards. The price you pay and the excess are still set by your insurer, not by Flood Re.
Because the insurer chooses, two insurers may treat the same home very differently. That is why a broker can help: we can approach insurers that use the scheme. For background on the scheme itself, read Flood Re explained.
Example. Two neighbours live on the same street beside a river. One owns a 1930s semi detached house in council tax band C, lived in by the family. The other owns a house on a small development finished in 2011. The first home meets all four core tests, so an insurer could pass its flood risk to Flood Re. The second does not qualify because it was completed after 2008, so its owner needs an insurer willing to cover the flood risk on its own terms.
What is Build Back Better?
Build Back Better is a Flood Re initiative that lets householders install property flood resilience measures up to the value of £10,000 when repairing their homes after a flood. Examples on Flood Re’s website include pumps, flood doors, barriers, automatic air bricks, non return valves, specialist drainage and waterproof membranes. Flood Re describes it as reimbursement over and above the work to repair the damage. It is only available through insurers that offer it, so Flood Re suggests speaking to your broker or insurer before buying a policy. Flood Re has agreed with insurers that policies meeting the same criteria are treated the same way whether or not they are ceded to Flood Re, and householders can choose whether to accept the extra measures.
When does Flood Re end and what happens next?
Flood Re says it will remain in place until 2039. It was set up to support a move to an insurance market where flood risk is properly understood and reflected in prices. In practice, the homes most likely to find cover easily after 2039 are those that can show they have reduced their flood risk. Keeping records of resilience work, survey reports and any Build Back Better measures will help.
What should you tell an insurer about flood risk?
Answer flood questions accurately, including any past flooding, nearby watercourses and flood defences. Under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 you must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation, and a careless wrong answer can lead to a reduced claim payment. Our guide to answering home insurance questions explains what insurers look for.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a policy directly from Flood Re?
No. Flood Re does not sell policies to the public. You buy home insurance from an insurer or through a broker, and the insurer decides whether to use Flood Re for the flood element.
My home was finished in 2010. Can Flood Re help?
No. Flood Re can only help if construction was completed before January 2009. A newer home needs an insurer willing to cover the flood risk without the scheme.
Is a holiday home or second home eligible for Flood Re?
It can be. Flood Re lists holiday homes and second homes as expected to be eligible, provided the property meets the core criteria. A bed and breakfast paying business rates is not.
Does Flood Re cover tenants’ contents?
Yes. Flood Re says it will cover a tenant’s or individual’s contents in rented or leasehold properties, even where the building is not eligible.
Can Solar Protect help me find flood cover?
Yes. We will look for cover with insurers that use Flood Re where your home is eligible, and with other insurers where it is not. Ask us for a quote or call 01795 841 310, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
More on property insurance. Ready for a price? Ask for a quote or call 01795 841 310.
Sources
- Flood Re: Flood re eligibility criteria
- Flood Re: Which properties are excluded from the flood re scheme
- Flood Re: Construction of my property started before 2009 but it was finished later will i
- Flood Re: Can i decide if my insurer should pass the flood risk to flood re
- Flood Re: How flood re works
- Flood Re: Buildbackbetter
- Flood Re: Build back better
- Flood Re: Our future
- Financial Ombudsman Service: Insight in depth underinsurance misrepresentation non disclosure
Reviewed by Christine Anderson, Broker, Solar Protect. Last reviewed 6 November 2026. Solar Protect is the trading name of Solar Insurance Services (Medway) Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This page is general information, not advice on your own circumstances.