Is My House in a Flood Zone? How to Check Any Irish Address
Flooding is the one risk that can make a house uninsurable, and the listing will never mention it. The official flood maps are public — here is what they show, what they leave out, and how to read a result for the exact property you are bidding on.
Where the flood maps come from
The Office of Public Works (OPW) publishes Ireland’s flood maps at floodinfo.ie. They come from the national flood-risk studies (the CFRAM programme and the National Indicative Fluvial Mapping) and show the land that is modelled to flood at a given annual probability: a 1-in-100-year river flood, a 1-in-1000-year river flood, surface-water (rainfall) flooding, and a high-end future coastal scenario at 1-in-200.
“1-in-100-year” does not mean once a century. It means a 1% chance in any given year — roughly a one-in-four chance over a 30-year mortgage. That is why lenders and insurers treat a mapped 1-in-100 extent as a live risk rather than a historical curiosity.
The maps are a model, not a diary. A property that flooded in 2015 may sit outside every extent if the catchment was not modelled; a property that never flooded may sit inside one. “Not mapped” means “not modelled as flooding here”, not “cannot flood”.
Why it matters before you bid, not after
Your mortgage lender will require buildings insurance, and Irish insurers run their own flood models. If they decline cover, or exclude flood damage, the purchase can fall through at the point where you have already paid for a survey and legal work. Sellers rarely volunteer a flood history, and the standard pre-contract enquiries only go as far as the seller’s knowledge.
A flood finding is not necessarily a reason to walk away — defended areas, raised ground floors and a clean insurance history all change the picture — but it is a reason to ask the questions before you are emotionally and financially committed.
How a VeriSale report grades it
VeriSale queries the official OPW flood extents for the exact point of the property — a live point-in-polygon lookup, with the result attributed back to floodinfo.ie — and reports which extents, if any, the point sits inside. When the official maps cannot be reached it falls back to its own terrain estimate, and says so.
- Inside a 1-in-100-year river or surface-water extentGraded low. The report names the extents (“Official maps place this point inside 1-in-100-yr river flood extent. Tell your solicitor and insurer.”).
- Inside a rarer 1-in-1000-year inland extent, or the future coastal scenarioGraded mid. The coastal layer is a high-end sea-level-rise scenario, so it weighs lighter than a current river extent.
- Not inside any mapped extentGraded well, with the elevation above sea level and a note if the point sits in a local hollow — and the reminder that not every spot is modelled.
This is one of 39 checks in the report, each graded A–F with a plain-language summary. The report compiles public data; it is not a survey or legal advice.
What to ask before you bid
- Has the property ever flooded, and is there an insurance claims history? (Ask in writing, through your solicitor.)
- Can the seller provide a current buildings-insurance quote that includes flood cover?
- Is the area protected by an OPW flood-relief scheme, and when was it completed?
- Is the ground floor raised, and are there any flood gates or non-return valves fitted?
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a house is in a flood zone in Ireland?
Look the address up on the OPW’s floodinfo.ie map viewer, or enter the Eircode on VeriSale and the report checks the official flood extents for the exact point automatically, alongside its other checks. Either way, pair the map result with a direct question to the seller about flood history and insurance.
What does a 1-in-100-year flood mean?
A 1% chance of flooding in any single year. Over the 30 years of a typical mortgage that adds up to roughly a one-in-four chance of at least one such flood. It is a probability, not a schedule.
Will I get a mortgage on a house in a flood zone?
Lenders require buildings insurance, so the real question is whether an insurer will cover the property. Some will, sometimes with a flood exclusion or a higher excess. Get a quote in writing before you commit.
Is the VeriSale flood check the same as the OPW map?
It queries the OPW’s published extents for the property’s coordinates and reports whether the point is inside one. It does not reproduce the maps, and it is indicative: confirm anything material on floodinfo.ie and with your insurer.
The house is not in a flood zone on the map — is it safe?
Not every catchment is modelled, and surface-water flooding can happen anywhere low-lying. The report tells you the elevation and whether the point sits in a local hollow; a surveyor’s drainage check and the seller’s history complete the picture.
Check this for any Irish address
Enter an address or Eircode and read the flood risk result — and the other 38 checks — in minutes.
Start your report — €9.99Where this matters most
County guides that single out flood risk as a check to read closely: