The Flood Factor in Renting

Residential and industrial real estate development is a boom in the Philippines due to the government’s bullheaded focus on housing and attracting foreign investments. The trend is to lure foreign investors into renting, leasing, or buying prime properties in the country and providing housing for their expatriate managers and local work force, if needed. This needs wise renting considerations.

Or even if one is just plain looking for a nice rental property to live in, what are the renting factors to watch out for? Experts advise tips on renting considerations, but the common factor always is the flood factor. It’s easy to check the water and electric supply of a property. Just turn on the faucet or switch on the light and immediately they’re checked. To check house or building structure, a civil engineer will easily do the job. For community peace and order one can always survey the neighborhood.

But flood?

Floods don’t happen except in a particular time of year—the rainy season. It’s improbable that anyone would wait for rains to come before deciding on renting a property. A neighborhood survey may work but because a good number of residents are either new or temporary residents (mere tenants themselves) such surveys are often unreliable. So what renting considerations should we do?

Among renting considerations on flood, first is ocular inspection. Watch the street slope. Lowest street portions are flood prone areas. Or look for the opening where canal water drains into the underground sewer. That canal opening often means the street slopes down to that portion. It’s the lowest portion of the street. If the scouted property for renting happens to be near or directly in front that canal opening, it’s a flood prone area. Sure, the drainage system may be working now, but what about in the future?

Second renting consideration is to check it out at city hall. The Engineering or Zoning Department or the weather bureau can furnish graphs of average rain levels of certain areas. If a certain area gets an average of more than 3 inches high of rain water per minute and the area has poor drainage systems, it’s flood prone.

Last renting consideration on flood is the presence of nearby creeks or rivers. Drainages exit through creeks or rivers. But if there’s human habitation on them, they’re flood prone.

Renting considerations on floods is an important factor in renting any property. With basic tips this may be easily looked into.