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Guidance for riverside property owners

If you own land or property alongside a river or other watercourse, this guide is for you. It explains your rights and responsibilities as a riverside property owner.

Download the Living on the edge booklet

More information about your rights and responsibilities, our role, the role of other organisations, working on or near a river and the permissions required can be found in the Living on the edge guide.

The guide explains:

  • your rights and responsibilities as an owner;
  • our role and that of other organisations who you may need to work with;
  • who is responsible for flood defences and what that means in practice; 
  • how we can work together to protect and enhance the natural environment of our rivers and streams.

Your rights and responsibilities

If you own land adjoining a watercourse, you have certain rights and responsibilities.  In legal terms you are a 'riparian owner'.  (A watercourse is any natural or artificial channel through which water flows, such as a river, brook, beck, or mill stream.)

Some of your responsibilities include:

  • maintaining river beds and banks;
  • allowing the flow of water to pass without obstruction;
  • controlling invasive alien species such as Japanese knotweed. 

Your rights have been established in common law for many years.  However there are some circumstances in which these rights may be affected by other law.

Our role

Protecting the river environment and managing flood risk are part of our job.

We have powers and responsibilities to maintain  and improve rivers and watercourses throughout England and Wales. Our work often affects riparian owners and people who live nearby. This is explained  in detail in the booklet.

    Act now

    Sign up to receive flood warnings with our free Floodline Warnings Direct service

    or phone Floodline on 0845 988 1188 to speak to someone about flooding.