How to find out if a house has flooded before: public records

To find out if a house has flooded before, check the recorded flood extents that the state or council has published for past floods, ask the council what flood records it holds for the lot, and ask the seller and neighbours directly. A recorded flood extent shows where water was mapped in one specific event. It does not show how deep the water was at the house, or whether it entered the building.

What public records show whether a house has flooded?

Past floods are recorded in a handful of public places. None of them is complete on its own.

Record	Published by	What it shows	What it does not show
Historic flood lines	State agencies, for example Queensland's Department of Resources	The mapped outer edge of water in a named flood, such as 1974 on the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers or January 2011 in Queensland towns	Depth, or floods that were never mapped
Town flood mapping packages	Queensland Flood Mapping Program	For some regional towns, recorded extents of past floods alongside modelled events	Towns and events outside the program
Council recorded flood extents	Councils, for example Brisbane's January 1974, January 2011 and February 2022 extents	Where water reached in that council's recorded floods	Local stormwater flooding, which is rarely mapped
State emergency service extents	NSW SES, for example the 2012 inland NSW floods	Mapped extent of a specific event	Other events and other areas
Council flood records	The council, through a flood certificate or flood search	Sometimes a recorded flood level for the lot	Whether water entered a building

Queensland's historic flood lines, and the Queensland Flood Mapping Program studies, can be searched by address in FloodCheck Queensland. Brisbane's recorded extents are on the council's Flood Awareness map. NSW flood studies, some of which map historic events, are listed on the NSW Flood Data Portal.

What does a recorded flood extent tell you?

A recorded flood extent is the mapped edge of water in a past event, drawn after the event from surveyed flood marks, aerial photos, satellite imagery and reports from the ground. If the extent covers part of a property, water was mapped on that part of the property in that flood.

It is the most direct public evidence that a location has flooded. It is also evidence from a real event rather than a design storm, which makes it a useful check on a flood model: a model that shows a lot as dry in its 1% AEP (1 in 100 year) event while a recorded flood covered it is worth asking the council about.

What can a recorded flood extent not tell you?

• Depth. An extent is an outline. Some councils also publish recorded flood levels in metres AHD, which can be compared with a surveyed floor level.
• Whether water entered the house. Water mapped across a yard may not have reached the floor.
• Floods that were never mapped. Many floods, especially smaller and older ones, were never mapped. An area with no recorded extent may simply have no record.
• Local stormwater flooding. Overland flow from overloaded drains and small gullies is rarely captured in recorded extents.
• Changes since the event. Levees, dam operations, filling, new drainage and new development can change how the same rainfall floods the same street.

A property outside every recorded extent has not been shown to be flood free. It has only not been mapped as flooded in the events that were recorded.

Do sellers have to disclose that a house has flooded?

In Queensland, the Form 2 seller disclosure statement does not cover flood or other natural hazards, so flood history is left to the buyer to investigate. The Form 2 guide explains what the statement includes and excludes. A buyer can still ask the seller or their agent in writing whether the house has flooded and whether any flood insurance claim was made. Insurance claim histories are not published.

How else can I check if a house has flooded before?

• Ask neighbours. People who were there in 2011 or 2022 often know which streets flooded and how high the water came.
• Look for signs at inspection. Tide marks on walls, replaced lower wall linings, new floor coverings in an older house and rust or silt in the subfloor can point to past water. The listing photo flood clues guide covers what can be seen before an inspection.
• Read the flood model as well. A recorded flood shows one event. A flood model shows what the publisher expects across a range of events. The difference is explained in flood certificate vs flood model report.

Where does the LayeredGeo report show recorded floods?

Two LayeredGeo reports have a recorded flood page.

The Property Report has a Flood: Historical Events page where historical flood extent mapping covers the area. It names each recorded flood whose extent the property falls within and maps the extents over the lot.

The Flood Model Report has a Recorded Floods page. It lists each recorded extent found near the property, with whether it was mapped on the property, near the boundary or at a stated distance, and maps each event's outline. Where no historical flood mapping is published for the area, the page says so rather than showing the property as clear.

Common questions

How do I find out if a house has flooded before?

Check the recorded flood extents published by the state and council for past floods, ask the council for any recorded flood level on the lot, and ask the seller and neighbours. Recorded extents show where water was mapped in a specific flood, not how deep it was or whether it entered the house.

Is there a public record of houses that have flooded?

There is no single register of flooded houses. There are published maps of where water reached in recorded floods, from state agencies, councils and emergency services, and some councils record flood levels. Insurance claim records are not public.

Does a Queensland seller have to disclose past flooding?

Not through the disclosure statement. The Queensland Form 2 seller disclosure statement does not cover flood or other natural hazards. Buyers can ask the seller in writing and check the published flood mapping themselves.

If a house is outside a historic flood line, will it flood?

It may. A historic flood line records one event. Larger floods, local stormwater flooding and changes to the catchment can put water on land outside it, which is why the council's flood modelling is worth reading as well.

The free coverage check shows whether a published flood model reaches an address, and the Flood Model Report includes the Recorded Floods page. The Property Report includes the Flood: Historical Events page with the other planning flood maps.

LayeredGeo's Flood Model Report collects every published flood model that reaches a property, with modelled depth, velocity and flood level for each event, and the recorded flood extents mapped near it.

Sources

• Queensland Government, Department of Resources. FloodCheck Queensland. floodcheck.information.qld.gov.au
• Queensland Government. Historical flood map series, Queensland. Open Data Queensland. data.qld.gov.au
• Brisbane City Council. Flood Awareness Online. fam.brisbane.qld.gov.au
• NSW State Emergency Service. NSW Flood Data Portal. flooddata.ses.nsw.gov.au

About this article. Published by LayeredGeo and written from the published research cited in the Sources section above. It is general information about how property and ground conditions are assessed in Australia, not engineering, planning, legal or financial advice, and it is not specific to any property. Check anything that matters against the source dataset or a suitably qualified professional before you rely on it. If you spot something wrong, tell us at hello@layeredgeo.com.au and we will fix it.

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