Future Climate Info Partners with Ashfield Solutions Group to Launch the FCI Flood Appraisal

Future Climate Info (FCI), a leading provider of environmental search reports for the property market, has partnered with like-minded environmental risk consultancy Ashfield Solutions Group (Ashfield) to launch the FCI Flood Appraisal, providing an affordable solution where a flood risk is identified in an initial environmental search report.

With 1 in 6 properties at risk in the UK, flooding is a legitimate concern and a potential hurdle in property transactions. Flooding can have a direct impact on a property and its occupants, as well as on the property’s insurability, mortgagability, saleability and value. Therefore, it is crucial that any risks present are identified and thoroughly investigated during the conveyancing process.

Available to order from today and priced from just £150 + VAT for residential property and £250 + VAT for commercial property, the FCI Flood Appraisal provides independent expert insight at a property-specific level. The fully manually-assessed report is designed to guide and inform all stakeholders within a transaction (whether they be home buyers or sellers, commercial investors, business owners, lenders/insurers, conveyancers or solicitors), providing the confidence needed to make informed decisions. The FCI Flood Appraisal helps to ensure that the good practice guidance outlined within the Law Society’s Flood Risk Practice Note is fulfilled, protecting professional advisors and offering a clear route for conducting appropriate further due diligence, when it’s required.

As part of the FCI Flood Appraisal, Ashfield’s qualified flood consultants consider complementary data sources and flood mapping together with additional property-specific information to provide an enhanced analysis where a plausible flood risk has been shown to exist. Important property attributes are considered, such as ground levels, property thresholds or the presence of basements, in conjunction with key research into Local Authority records and planning applications, plus a review of flood defences and the property’s flood warning and alert history. The culmination of these efforts is an unrivalled level of evaluation and insight at such an affordable price-point.

The new product includes a full Professional Opinion from Ashfield’s expert team backed by robust Professional Indemnity cover, including a summary of potential impacts to the property, details of revised flood risk where applicable and an all-important insurability statement. To add further value for the end-client in ensuring that they think ahead and consider the future of the property, Ashfield also provide advice on any potential redevelopment considerations and occupation or operational risks in relation to possible flood events.

Both FCI and Ashfield Solutions Group share a passion for delivering innovative solutions which provide clarity and transparency, helping to inform decision-making and facilitate transactions. Of the collaboration, Tim Champney, Managing Director at Future Climate Info commented:

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Ashfield Solutions Group to deliver this market-leading solution to flood risk ‘further actions’ when they arise in the conveyancing process.

The partnership with Ashfield is a natural progression for us. Ashfield’s highly successful consultancy model is based on supporting clients as an independent advisor, simplifying environmental risks which are otherwise all too often exaggerated with the inevitable consequence of unnecessary cost and delay. This approach aligns with our own core values at FCI, which similarly focus on eradicating confusion, and instead clarifying risk through the provision of reliable, robust, and straight-forward products and services.

The release of the new Flood Appraisal marks a strong step-forward in FCI’s goal to provide our customers with end-to-end solutions. We believe that this is a real win for the property market, offering unbeatable value for such in-depth guidance.”

Aaron Jones, Flood Risk Director, Ashfield Solutions Group commented:

“You can take Ashfield and FCI’s shared values as being cut from the same cloth. Working together empowers the client with knowledge to make informed choices, underpinned by unrivalled advice.

Time after time, Ashfield has witnessed the benefits of honest and transparent front-end advice, which ultimately provides the greatest value to the client. The point at which stakeholders are at their most vulnerable is when an imminent transaction is held up by a potential issue of unknown magnitude. We are delighted to be able to work with FCI to further minimise these bumps in the road on each individual journey.

The analysis of existing and new data by an experienced flood risk consultant can often shed a greater level of insight, and identify additional opportunities. Fronted by FCI’s fantastic range of products, Ashfield is able to economically provide real-world, site specific solutions to the whole spectrum of property types.”

To learn more about the FCI Flood Appraisal, visit http://futureclimateinfo.com/how-we-can-help/residential/. Alternatively you can register to attend the informative webinar ‘Understanding Flood Risk: How to Deal with Flood Further Actions’, 7th October 11am.