- Over £20 million worth of damage caused by last summers floods in Scotland* - New Homecheck Professional Flood Report now available to Scottish homeowners

Homeowners in Scotland will now be able to find out if their property is at potential risk of flooding. According to the Scottish Government there are approximately 100,000 homes in Scotland at risk from flooding, however Landmark Information Group predicts this figure to be much higher. Landmark – the company behind the market-leading environmental report Envirosearch Scotland - has launched a brand new report which will determine a specific property's flood risk and predicts that up to one in four homes could be at risk.**

The Homecheck Professional Flood Report, which can be purchased through a solicitor, will provide homebuyers with the most detailed flood information available on the market. The report features clear assessment and detailed flood risk information from leading providers including unique surface water flood data from RMS (Risk Management Solutions) - a major source of the devastating summer 2007 floods.

John Turner, Regional Manager for Landmark comments: “The Scottish Government has predicted that around 100,000 properties are situated in a flood risk area. These figures are only based on river and coastal flooding and do not account for pluvial flooding which was the cause of much of the damage to properties in the UK last year. By asking your solicitor to provide a conveyancing-ready flood report, homeowners in Scotland can now take sufficient precautions to protect their homes and buyers can make more informed purchasing decisions.”

With climate change being a major contributor to the increasing flood patterns and sea levels in Scotland over the next few years, more homes are expected to be affected from flood. Last summer was one of the wettest on record in Scotland*** with homeowners in certain parts of the country suffering from the distressing impact of flooding.

John Turner continues “It is essential that Scottish homeowners and buyers are aware of the potential risk that their properties are at from flooding. Unfortunately, due to climate change, this is an issue that is going to continue to be of concern for the foreseeable future and homeowners need to remain vigilant. With the information that a Homecheck report can provide, homeowners can identify the specific risk to a property before it is too late. More importantly, by knowing your flood risk, you can take steps to mitigate the damage.”

As well as launching their Know Your Flood Risk campaign and creating a dedicated flood website (www.homecheckflood.co.uk) which offers practical guidance and advice, Landmark is working closely with the National Flood Forum. The charity was set up to provide support and advice to communities and individuals that have been flooded or are at risk of flooding.

The Homecheck Professional Flood Report is available through a solicitor for just £16.15 (plus VAT). Should you wish to find out more about the report, please call a member of the customer services team on 0844 844 9966 or email Scotland@landmarkinfo.co.uk.

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For further information on Landmark Information Group visit www.landmarkinfo.co.uk or call 0844 844 9966.

Notes to editors: *http://www.scotlink.org/pdf/Towards%20Sust%20Flood%20Management%20LINK%20Briefing.pdf

** The calculation of 1 in 4 British homes at flood risk is based on the number of residential homes within the 2008 RMS 1,000-year Inland Flood risk zones compared to the total number of homes in Britain. The flood risk map identifies areas at risk from all sources of precipitation-driven flooding including flooding from major and minor rivers and surface water flow. The 1,000-year flood risk map identifies areas that would be at risk under very extreme rainfall and flooding. *** Met Office records from 1914-2008 for the East and West of Scotland show the summers of 2007 and 2008 are the wettest consecutive summers on record. Gogarbank in Edinburgh, Salsburgh in North Lanarkshire and Charterhall in the Scottish Borders all suffered record levels of rainfall in August 2008.

Issued on behalf of Landmark Information Group by Trimedia. For further information please contact Rachel Greaves or Kathryn Morgan on 0207 025 7572 or Rachel.Greaves@trimediauk.com.