Registrations open for the $741 million Resilient Homes Fund

12 May 2022

Queenslanders whose homes were damaged by floods can now register to access grants to raise, repair, retrofit or have their home voluntarily bought back.

The $741 million Resilient Homes Fund will help make Queensland homes more flood resilient.

This is the largest home resilience program of its kind to ever be delivered in Australia.

Queenslanders whose homes were damaged by floods will be able to access grants to rebuild more resilient homes, raise homes or buy back homes at high risk.

Grants will be available to assist Queensland homeowners to repair or retrofit their homes to incorporate flood resilient design and to raise homes to reduce the impacts of future flood events.

Building back better means incorporating resilient building design and materials to significantly reduce the effort, cost and time to help Queenslanders back into their homes now and in the future.

The damage to homes from the rain-bomb event has been widespread and whilst homeowners have experienced different types of damage, every home can be re-built to be far less vulnerable to future flood events.

This is a nation-leading program, which is being designed to help those Queenslanders who’ve experienced the trauma of their home being flooded, the confidence they need to get their lives back to normal.

Flood-affected Queenslanders within the eligible local government areas who are interested in a voluntary buy-back, house raising or retrofitting for resilience following the floods are encouraged to come forward, register their details and that will trigger the start of the process.

The Queensland Government has worked closely with the Commonwealth, insurers and representatives from the building industry to help inform the program and ensure its rollout as quickly as possible.

The Department of Energy and Public Works will lead the delivery of the retrofitting and house-raising component of the program, whilst the Queensland Reconstruction Authority will manage any voluntary buy-backs together with local governments.

The $741 million Resilient Homes Fund is being delivered through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Fast Facts

What funding is available?

Rebuilding more resilient homes

Grants will be available to assist eligible homeowners to repair or retrofit their homes to incorporate flood resilient design and materials. This could include replacement of floor coverings with a water-resistant finish such as tiles or polished concrete and moving power outlets to above recognised flood levels.

Raising homes

Grants will be available to eligible homeowners to raise homes to reduce the impacts of future flood events by lifting living areas and rooms above the defined flood level.

Buying back homes

In high-risk situations where repairing, retrofitting or raising are not considered suitable options, a voluntary buy-back of the residence will be considered.

Voluntary home buy-backs will be on a case-by-case basis and will consider a range of factors including the frequency of flooding, severity of flooding, structural safety of the property, future flood risk and broader social impacts.

Who can apply?

Queensland homeowners across 37 local government areas whose property was inundated as a result of any of the three major floods in 2021-22 including the South East Queensland floods (22 February 2022 onwards); the ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth floods (29 December 2021 – 10 January 2022); and the Central, Southern and Western Queensland flooding (10 November – 3 December 2021).

How do I register?