House hunting in France: residents overlook the risk of flooding for the sake of location.

There are currently 16,000 communes in France with at least one zone of potential flooding, according to the latest data as of January 2023. These can be identified using the Atlas des Zones Inondables (AZI) on the Georisques website. You can also assess your local flood risk by entering the address of yourreal estateto the search engine on the home page.

On a legal level, inclusion in an AZI does not necessarily stop the construction of new homes or extend flood-related regulations.

Experts advise thatto searchflood risk information should be used wisely: if it is ahouseby the river and the banks are low, the probability of flooding is high. Similarly,housesnear the sea, unless they are located on high hills, are prone to flooding more often than those inland.

Kluboge houses, however, are often associated with the risk of erosion and subsequent collapse into the sea. A visit to the town hall to find out the local urban plan (PLU) will show areas of the municipality where building is prohibited due to flood risk - and if your property is close to these areas, you may want to reconsider.