Guide
Flood risk assessment cost: published prices by scope
Updated
A flood risk assessment costs what its scope costs: an assessment for planning has a median published price of £500, a Flood Zone 3 assessment £1,000, and a surface water drainage strategy £770.
By scope
| Scope | Median | Range | Firms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property flood report (for buyers, not planning) | £150 | £64 to £350 | 3 |
| Flood risk assessment for planning | £500 | £250 to £1,500 | 11 |
| Householder extension FRA | £695 | £695 | 1 |
| Surface water drainage strategy | £770 | £295 to £1,195 | 6 |
| Flood Zone 3 FRA | £1,000 | £750 to £1,250 | 3 |
| Flood consequence assessment (Wales) | £1,125 | £1,050 to £1,200 | 2 |
Source: Flood Risk Assessment Fee Index: every row, with its source
What moves the price
- The flood zone: a Flood Zone 3 site needs a design flood level, which can mean modelling.
- Whether a drainage strategy is needed beside the assessment.
- Whether the Environment Agency's flood map products give a flood level, or a specialist has to calculate it.
- A land survey to state levels against Ordnance Datum, where the site has none.
- VAT: most firms quote ex VAT, a few include it.
What the assessment has to show
For development covered by the standing advice, the assessment should include the estimated flood level taking climate change into account, the finished floor levels and the flood resistance and resilience plans. The advice recommends floor levels at least 600mm above the estimated flood level, which may be reduced to 300mm where that level is known with high certainty (gov.uk).