Flood risk · Howth, Dublin
Flood risk in Howth: 4 recorded floods
The OPW register holds 4 recorded floods within 2 km of the centre of Howth. What that means for a house here, and how to check the exact address.
4
recorded flood events within 2 km of the town centre (OPW)
No
river flood extent mapped nearby (1 in 100 year, OPW CFRAM)
No
coastal flood extent mapped nearby (1 in 200 year)
What the OPW record says about Howth
The Office of Public Works keeps a register of past floods. Within 2 km of the centre of Howth it holds 4 events, the latest in 2014. By source: river (2), runoff (1), coastal/estuarine waters (1). A recorded event does not mean every street went under. It means an insurer’s model knows the town.
Most recent on file:
- August 2014: Flooding at Howth on 10/08/2014 (river). Flash flooding, culvert collapsed resulting in river flowing down the main street into the sea.
- November 2002: Bloody Stream Howth Area Nov 2002 (runoff).
- October 2002: Bloody Stream Howth Near Dart Station Oct 2002 (river).
- undated: Bloody Stream Howth Near Dart Station Recurring (coastal/estuarine waters).
What to do before bidding on a house here
Look the exact address up on the OPW map, not the town. Two houses on the same road can sit on opposite sides of an extent line. Ask the seller in writing whether the house or garden has ever flooded and whether a flood claim was made. Ask for the current insurance schedule. If the house is inside an extent, get a quote before going sale agreed: some insurers decline outright, and the bank will not lend without cover.
The free snapshot on this site flags flood for one Eircode in about a minute. The paid report adds the distance to each recorded event, which extents the point falls in, and the GSI groundwater map, all with links to the source so a solicitor can rely on them.
Check one house in Howth
The area tells you the odds. The report tells you about the house.
Enter the Eircode. The free snapshot shows which of the twenty-nine checks flag up. The full report (€24.99, one house, no account) puts the exact Eircode point on the OPW extents, lists every recorded flood within 500 m with dates and notes, and checks groundwater and coastal erosion maps too.
Or read the sample report first: a real house, 16 pages.
Also for Howth
Questions people ask
- Is Howth in a flood zone?
- The OPW has not published modelled flood extents within 1.5 km of the centre of Howth. That is not the same as no risk: 4 past floods are on record nearby. Check the exact house, not the town.
- Will a house in Howth be hard to insure against flooding?
- Insurers price by postcode and by the OPW record. With 4 recorded events within 2 km, expect questions on the proposal form and possibly a flood exclusion on some streets. Ask the seller for their current policy schedule: if flood is excluded, you will inherit that problem.
- What does the paid report add for a house in Howth, Dublin?
- It puts the Eircode point against every OPW flood extent, lists recorded floods within 500 m with dates and OPW notes, checks GSI groundwater flood maps and coastal erosion, and ranks the result against the other twenty-eight checks (radon, BER, planning, knotweed, title, sewer and more) for that one address.
Sources
- OPW flood maps and past flood events (floodinfo.ie)
- Town centres and sales counts: homeprices.ie (Property Price Register)
Area figures, compiled from public records. They describe the town or county, not any one house. The paid report checks the exact Eircode.