If you manage a building, the surveyor you bring in to assess it is supposed to be the expert in the room. But flood resilience, understanding how a property can be adapted to resist and recover from flooding, has never had a clear, independently assessed professional standard attached to it. That is starting to change.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) have announced a collaboration designed to strengthen surveyors' expertise in Property Flood Resilience (PFR). Under the partnership, RICS will promote CIWEM's PFR training programme and its Specialist Register to its membership, and surveyors who hold the qualification will be identifiable through RICS's Find a Surveyor service.

What's actually new here

Flood resilience training and guidance already existed before this announcement. CIWEM's PFR programme is built around the Code of Practice for Property Flood Resilience, developed jointly with the Environment Agency, and its Specialist Register is independently assessed rather than self-certified. What's new is the bridge RICS is now building between that expertise and its own membership and public-facing surveyor directory.

In practice, that means a property owner, landlord or facilities team searching for a surveyor through RICS will be able to see who holds a recognised PFR qualification, rather than having to take a surveyor's word for their flood expertise on trust. Government minister Emma Hardy has pointed to the move as part of wider support for the FloodReady Action Plan.

Why this matters beyond the headline

Flood risk is no longer a niche concern confined to a handful of postcodes. It is increasingly a factor in how commercial property is insured, valued and maintained, and that has knock-on effects for anyone responsible for a building's upkeep and running costs.

For property and facilities teams, this partnership turns flood resilience from a vague "we should look into that" into something with an actual credential attached to it. That has three practical implications.

First, it gives procurement teams a concrete question to ask when appointing or reviewing a surveyor: are they on the PFR Specialist Register, and if not, why not. Second, it gives insurers and lenders a clearer professional reference point when assessing a building's flood preparedness, which could start to influence terms over time. Third, it signals that flood resilience is moving from a reactive, post-flood repair conversation to a proactive, assessed-in-advance one, more like fire safety or structural surveys than an afterthought.

What property and FM teams should do now

You do not need to overhaul your approach overnight. But it is worth:

• Checking whether your current surveyor or building consultancy holds, or is working towards, the CIWEM PFR qualification
• Asking whether flood resilience should be added as a specific line item in your next survey or condition report, rather than folded generically into "building risk"
• Flagging the RICS Find a Surveyor service to colleagues in procurement or estates who commission external surveys
• Keeping an eye on how insurers respond to PFR accreditation over the coming months, since that is likely to be where the commercial pressure to adopt it actually comes from

The bigger picture

This is a professional standards move, not a new piece of flood legislation or a dramatic shift in flood risk itself. Its significance lies in what it signals: property professionals are being given the tools to treat flood resilience as a measurable competency rather than a vague aspiration, at a time when climate-driven flood risk is only becoming more relevant to how buildings are managed, insured and valued.

Frequently asked questions

What is Property Flood Resilience (PFR)?
It refers to measures and expertise aimed at helping a property resist flood damage and recover more quickly when flooding does occur, distinct from flood prevention measures like defences or drainage.

Who runs the PFR Specialist Register?
CIWEM, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, which independently assesses surveyors against the Code of Practice for Property Flood Resilience.

How do I find a PFR-qualified surveyor?
Through RICS's Find a Surveyor service, which will now surface professionals holding the recognised PFR qualification.

Does this change the law on flood risk for commercial property?
No. This is a professional accreditation and awareness partnership between two professional bodies, not new legislation.

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