Vacation rentals and flooding

[Eric Davenport]

My wife and I are looking to buy riverside property for glamping purposes with tiny homes and air streams. The seller tells us there is minor flooding (2-3 feet above the river bank) a couple times a year, but a local tells us that about once every 10 years there’s much worse flooding of 10+ feet. There is a gentle slope upward to the road but major flooding may cover up to the road. We’re not as worried about the structures as we are the safety of our guests, how to handle flooding situations as a host, and liability purposes. For those with properties in a flood plain, how do you mitigate some of these things?

[Chase Hoover]

I wouldn't involve myself in a project that could potentially put guests at risk.  It's important to have great insurance when doing things like this, and I can't imagine an insurance company would be thrilled with this sort of risk.  I'd have a converation with them first to make sure they'll actually insure you before looking much further into this.