Summary
Historic flood data is useful evidence, but it must be read carefully. The Historic Flood Map shows the maximum extent of certain recorded historic floods, mainly from rivers, the sea and groundwater springs. Recorded Flood Outlines contain individual flood records from multiple sources. Absence from either layer does not prove a property has never flooded.
Definition
The Historic Flood Map is a GIS layer showing the maximum extent of qualifying historic flood outlines in England. Recorded Flood Outlines is a related Environment Agency dataset containing individual records of historic flooding from rivers, the sea, groundwater and surface water. Buyers should use both as corroborating evidence, while remembering that historic records may be incomplete, events may not have been captured, and local authority or Section 19 reports may add more detail.