The Flood Property Assessment Program

If your building was damaged by the floods beginning in February (AGRN 1012) or June (AGRN 1025) 2022, you may be eligible for the Flood Property Assessment Program.

This is an opt-in program that will provide you with a free, detailed assessment report, including a comprehensive scope of repair works and an estimate of repair costs.

After receiving your report, you are in control of what happens next.

The assessment report is only provided to you and is not available to council, insurers or the general public. However, you can provide the report to your insurer or builder to assist with planning repairs or rebuilding.

If you decide that demolishing your building is the best option for you, then the program can also provide this service for free.

Participation in the Flood Property Assessment Program will not affect eligibility for any future buyback, raising or refit.

You are eligible to register for the program if your damaged building is located in one of the Local Government Areas impacted by the flood events in February (AGRN 1012) or July (AGRN 1025) 2022.

For assistance and information relating to other severe weather and flood events, visit nsw.gov.au/floods.

What building types are eligible?

Building types eligible under the Flood Property Assessment Program include:

• residential buildings (where the residence has been affected by flood water)
• farm homesteads and rural buildings
• buildings on commercial properties used for primary business operation including shops and tourism-related businesses, owned by small businesses or primary producers.

What building types are excluded?

Building types that will not be eligible under the program include:

• anything not within the property boundary unless required to safely access the property for demolition works
• trees (except where trees and stumps are identified as flood affected and present an obstacle or safety impact to carry out clean-up of eligible destroyed or damaged building structures on the property)
• landscaping, retaining walls and driveways
• in-ground swimming pools, spas and associated pool deck and pool fencing
• irrigation pumps and equipment
• tennis courts, basketball courts and other private sport facilities
• fences not in the vicinity of destroyed or damaged buildings except where required to safely undertake clean-up works
• rural fences
• septic tanks, unless they present a safety issue. Nature of the works to remove or make safe will be subject to individual on site assessments
• private power poles and bridges
• tyre dumps
• private museums / collections which require storage outside the primary residence
• state or national listed Heritage buildings or properties – until such time that appropriate consideration is given to treatment of any remaining or intact.

Who has been engaged to conduct building assessments and provide any requested demolition services?

Johns Lyng Group has been appointed as the Managing Contractor and will provide the qualified assessors and demolition services necessary to deliver the program as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The appointment followed a robust competitive tender process that included tenderers with capacity and expertise related to the scale and nature of the anticipated work.

Public Works, a division of the Department of Regional NSW, is managing the government’s engagement of the Johns Lyng Group. 

If you are eligible, you can register your details online through the Service NSW webpage.

For further information, call the program hotline on 1300 294 027.

If you have previously completed the notification form on the Service NSW website you are considered ‘registered’ and will be contacted by a case manager.

After registering with Service NSW, a case manager from Johns Lyng Group will contact you to schedule an initial building inspection.

You will be assigned your own case manager, who will be available to answer questions at any stage of the process.

What happens during a building inspection?

Your building inspection will be conducted by a certified assessor who will assess the condition of your building and extent of the damage, but also look for other risks such as mould or asbestos.

Nothing will be actioned or decided during this inspection – it is simply the first step in the process.

In some cases, initial inspections may reveal further expertise is needed to make an accurate assessment of your building, such as a structural engineer, which can be arranged with you to occur at a later date. 

Can I attend the inspection?

Yes.  It is not essential, but we encourage you to attend your building inspection.

The inspection can be a difficult process and you might decide to bring a support person with you.

Where possible, case managers can arrange for a support person to be present during the inspection or connect you with additional support services following your inspection.

Following the building inspection, you will be presented with a detailed assessment report.

The assessment report is comprehensive, to give you the full picture of the damage to your building. The report will also help you understand repair works necessary to restore your home to its pre-flood state and an estimate of how much this would cost.

After receiving your report, you are in control of what happens next.

You can use this report to engage with your insurer or builder to begin the process of repairing your building. There is no requirement or expectation that you act on the findings of the report.

Based on the information in your report, you may decide that demolishing the building is the best option for you. If you choose to demolish, the program can provide this service for free.

An assessment report may indicate a building is structurally compromised or considered unsafe if it poses a potential safety risk to any occupants of the building, adjacent properties or the general public.

Council will be notified to liaise with the owner regarding any make safe orders or other immediate action. 

Individuals requiring financial assistance to restore their homes to a safe and habitable condition may be eligible to apply for a Disaster Relief Grant, a Back Home Grant or the Resilient Homes Program to help fund repairs identified through the Flood Property Assessment Program.

You are encouraged to discuss your eligibility for assistance with Service NSW by calling 13 77 88 or by visiting a Flood Recovery Centre.

If you don’t agree with aspects of the assessment report, you can discuss it with Johns Lyng Group by calling 1300 294 027.

If you disagree with the engineering assessments within your assessment report, a second independent report can be obtained at no cost.