How the screening works
From the plot you draw to a clear, plain-English report — here’s the process, and exactly what you receive.
A Property Search Screening is designed to give you a genuinely useful answer fast, without the cost and wait of a formal assessment. Here is exactly what happens, and what you get.
Draw your plot
Search your postcode, then draw around the property on our map — or click its building outline. The plot you draw, not a postcode centroid, is what we screen.
We screen the open data
Each official open dataset is queried at your plot. Distances are measured from it, and each theme is banded and rated. Your address is used for the property records, such as the EPC and sale prices.
Receive your PDF report
The results are compiled into a clear, branded 21-page report with maps, ratings and plain-English explanations, emailed to you.
What’s inside every report
Each report follows the same clear structure, so once you have read one you can navigate any of them at a glance:
- Executive summary — every theme on one page, colour-rated.
- Overall flood rating — the worst present-day modelled flood source at the property.
- Every flood source — rivers & sea (undefended flood zones and the defended long-term risk), surface water now and in the 2070s, reservoirs, groundwater, sewer flooding, climate change, recorded floods, defences and warning areas, with distances to each feature and a map where relevant.
- Ground & environment — geology, radon, coal-mining legacy, contaminated land, environmental & heritage designations, and planning designations.
- Property context — recent sold prices, neighbourhood crime, nearest schools, local amenities, air quality, broadband and mobile coverage, utility providers and water hardness, and energy performance.
- Plain-English glossary and full data-source attribution.
Every section carries an “about this data” note explaining, in everyday terms, what the source is and what it means — so you are never left decoding jargon.
How to read the ratings
Nothing of concern at the property.
Worth being aware of — nearby feature or planning trigger.
Higher concern — investigate further.
Not covered by open data — flagged, not guessed.
What it is — and isn’t
A screening is a fast, low-cost first look built from open data, generated automatically without individual human review. It is not a Flood Risk Assessment, a drainage strategy, or a regulated conveyancing flood search, and must not be submitted as one. If your decision depends on flood risk, the report tells you clearly when to commission a site-specific assessment — which we can provide.
Know the risks before you commit
An instant, plain-English flood & environmental screen for any address in England — a fast, low-cost first look before you spend on surveys or searches.