What to look for on the street when you view a home

Terms used

• Rambla — A rambla is a dry riverbed or channel that stays empty most of the year but can flood fast in heavy rain.
• Barranco — A barranco is a ravine or gully that carries water in storms.
• Monte bajo — Monte bajo is low scrub and bushland that burns easily.
• Urbanización — An urbanización is a housing development, often on the edge of a town or inside woodland.

Key rules

• Low ground: Homes in low points, beside a rambla or barranco, or with garages and ground floors below street level carry the highest flood risk.
• Forest edge: Homes touching forest or scrub, especially on a slope or with one narrow access road, carry the highest wildfire risk.
• Cracks: Stair-step cracks, jamming doors and leaning walls or trees can point to moving ground.
• Ask directly: Ask the owner or agent whether the home has flooded, burned or slipped, and when.

You can spot most natural-hazard warning signs just by walking around the home and the street for ten minutes. Do it before you fall for the interior. The checklist below gives the short version; this page explains what each sign means.

Signs of flood risk

The strongest warning is the home's position. Be careful if it sits in a low point, at the foot of a slope, or beside a rambla, barranco, dry riverbed or stream channel. These look harmless for most of the year and can fill in minutes after heavy rain, which is common in Mediterranean areas.

Then look at the ground and the walls:

• Garage ramps that go down, basements and semi-basements. Water runs into them first.
• Ground floors at or below street level.
• Tide marks. Look for water or silt lines on walls, gates and fences.
• Repainted or new plaster on the lower walls only. Fresh paint is not proof of flooding, but it is worth asking about.
• Damp, a mouldy smell or white salt deposits on lower walls.
• Raised thresholds, flood boards, sandbags in storage or a pump in the garage. Owners usually add these after an event.
• Steep streets that drain toward the house.
• Blocked, undersized or missing storm drains, debris caught in culverts or under bridges, and concrete-lined channels nearby.
• Car-park signs warning about floods.

A raised entrance does not prove the area floods. It does tell you the owners or builders were thinking about water, so ask why.

Signs of wildfire risk

Be most careful if the home borders forest, scrub (monte bajo) or pine woodland. Fire runs fast uphill, so a home on a slope or at its top is more exposed.

Check these points:

• Dense vegetation touching or overhanging the building.
• No cleared strip around the plot. Many regions require a vegetation-free strip around houses in forest areas, so ask whether it is kept clear.
• Dry grass or uncleared neighbouring plots.
• Wooden fences, pergolas and roof eaves.
• One narrow, steep or dead-end access road that fire engines could not use, and no hydrants nearby.
• An urbanización set inside woodland, or old burn scars on the hillside.
• No local fire-prevention plan. Ask the owner or the town hall.

Signs of an unstable slope or cliff

Look at the building first, then at the ground around it.

• Diagonal or stair-step cracks in walls, floors and paving, and doors or windows that jam.
• Retaining walls that bulge, tilt or crack, or whose drain holes are blocked.
• Leaning trees, poles or fences, and curved tree trunks.
• Steps, scarps or cracks in the ground itself.
• Bare slopes with fallen rock, or mud and soil piled at the base.
• Broken drains or pipes, and ponding water.
• Nets, sprayed concrete or bolts on the slope. These mean someone has already had to stabilise it.
• Cliff edges that are eroding or overhanging. The closer a building is to the edge, the greater the risk.

What to do with what you see

Take photos of anything that worries you. Ask the owner or agent directly whether the home has ever flooded, burned or been damaged by a slip, and when. If you see several signs from one group, get advice before you commit to renting or buying. The FAQ below covers common doubts, such as fresh paint and raised entrances.

Natural-hazard checklist for viewing a home

• Look up the address on the official flood map before the viewing and note which flood return periods reach it.

• Check whether the home is close to a river, dry riverbed (barranco) or drainage channel, and note how far away it is.

• Walk the street and look for water marks on walls, fences and garage doors that show past flooding.

• Check whether the entrance, garage and ground-floor rooms sit lower than the street.

• Look at where rainwater would run: drains, gutters and slopes that lead toward the building.

• Look at nearby hillsides for cracks, loose rocks, leaning walls or fresh earth slips above or below the home.

• Check for dry scrub, pine trees or forest touching the plot, and whether fire trucks could reach the street.

• Ask neighbours what happens on the street during heavy rain or a nearby fire.

• Ask whether the building has insurance cover for flood and fire damage, and what past claims were made.

• Take photos of the street, the lowest point of the property and any warning signs you find.

• Hold off on any reservation deposit, arras or lease until you have finished these checks.

Frequently asked questions

Does fresh paint on the lower walls mean a home has flooded?

It can, because repainted or newly plastered lower walls often hide water or silt marks. Look for a damp or mould smell, white salty stains on the wall (efflorescence) and a pump in the garage as well. If several of these show up, ask the owner directly whether water has ever got in.

Is a house on a hillside more at risk from wildfire?

Yes, a house on or at the top of a slope is more exposed, because fire runs uphill. Check for a single narrow, steep or dead-end access road that fire engines could not use, and for dry grass on neighbouring plots. Many regions require a vegetation-free strip around houses in forest areas, so look for one.

What are the warning signs that a slope or cliff near a home is unstable?

The main warning signs are diagonal or stair-step cracks, doors and windows that jam, and retaining walls that bulge or tilt. Leaning trees or fences, soil piled at the base and fresh nets or shotcrete (sprayed concrete) point to past movement. A home close to a cliff edge with erosion or overhangs faces greater risk.

Does a raised entrance or flood board mean the area floods?

Usually yes, it suggests the owners have dealt with water before. Raised thresholds, flood boards, sandbags and pumps in garages are all clues. Ask the owner or neighbours when the water last came in and how high it got.