– This paper aims to explore the preparedness of a UK Registered Social Landlord (RSL) for current and future flooding. It examines the understanding of vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity amongst senior managers responsible for approximately 4,000 homes and tests the organisation's contingency planning against a range of flood scenarios. The paper then examines the problems of integrating future adaptation plans into built asset management strategies.
– Analysis of existing datasets, field surveys, workshops, formal meetings, document analysis and semi-structured interviews were used to develop and test the impact of a series of flooding scenarios on the physical performance of the organisation's domestic properties and on the effectiveness of their contingency/adaptation plans.
– Whilst individuals within the RSL had a broad understanding of vulnerability and resilience to flooding; and the organisation possessed the management attributes normally associated with enhanced adaptive capacity, they had misunderstood the potential flooding threats and had a false sense of security in their level of preparedness. The RSL also lacked the data to develop effective adaptation plans as part of their built asset management strategy.
– This paper seeks to examine the vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity of UK social housing to climate change at the portfolio level. The paper should inform landlords, policy makers and researchers.
