Landlords’ Perceptions of Flood Risk and Adaptation Responsibility: Evidence from a Swedish Survey

Effective flood risk mitigation requires action at multiple levels. One key aspect is property-level flood risk management, which aims to decrease flood impacts on a local scale. Commonly, property owners bear the legal responsibility for flood prevention measures. However, about 30 percent of people in the European Union, including Sweden, are tenants who lack both the mandate and responsibility to carry out these measures since they do not own their homes. Instead, a landlord, often a company that rents out multiple housing units, is responsible for flood adaptation. In addition to the lack of mandate, tenants generally have fewer resources than homeowners and can therefore be more vulnerable to natural hazards, increasing the importance of landlord flood adaptation. 

Despite the significant role of landlords in property-level flood management, their perceptions of flood risk and their strategies for implementing flood mitigation measures remain understudied, with previous studies mainly focusing on adaptation among homeowners or households in general. To fill this gap, we surveyed approximately 16% (95 respondents) of corporate landlords in Sweden regarding their perceptions of flood risk, attitudes toward flood mitigation measures, and views on responsibility for flood adaptation. The survey was designed using a combined framework of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM). 

The results of our survey show that nearly half of the landlords have experienced flooding, and more than half have taken precautionary measures such as acquiring pumps and improving drainage in and around properties. Yet most landlords also report a low perception of risk for future floods and believe that authorities have a significant responsibility for protecting properties as well. The interaction between landlords and tenants is limited, indicating that tenants may be vulnerable to future flood risks if landlords neglect their flood responsibilities. Our findings highlight the importance of incorporating landlords into broader flood risk management strategies to enhance protection for a large and vulnerable population.