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Suburbs & Housing

Buying a Home in Brisbane: How to Check Flood Risk Before You Sign (2026)

By Move to Brisbane team. Published 19 October 2026.

A raised white timber Queenslander house on tall stumps beside a small creek, with gum trees and a grassy yard after rain

If you are buying a home in Brisbane, check the flood risk yourself before you sign the contract. Queensland’s seller disclosure rules do not make the seller tell you about past flooding, and once you sign it may be too late to walk away. Thankfully, the councils in and around Brisbane publish flood maps you can search by address. Brisbane City Council says its FloodWise Property Report downloads in 20 seconds.

Key takeaways

  • Disclosure: since 1 August 2025 Queensland sellers must give buyers a disclosure statement, but flooding history is not one of the things they have to include.
  • Brisbane City: search the address on the council’s Flood Awareness Map, then download a FloodWise Property Report.
  • Other councils: Logan, Ipswich and Moreton Bay each run their own flood mapping tool.
  • Timing: do these checks before you sign, not during the cooling off period.

Why flood risk is your job to check when buying in Brisbane

From 1 August 2025, Queensland’s seller disclosure scheme requires sellers to give buyers key information about a property before a contract is signed. The same page lists flooding history among the details a seller does not need to include. So a clean disclosure statement tells you nothing either way about flood risk.

The prescribed statement in the Property Law Regulation 2024 spells this out for buyers. It says information about whether a property is affected by flooding or another natural hazard can be obtained from the relevant local government, and that you should make your own enquiries. It also warns that you may not be able to terminate the contract if these matters are discovered after you sign.

So the flood check is on you, and it belongs before the contract. If you are still working out which council area you are looking in, the council areas guide sets out the five councils around Brisbane.

How to check flood risk for a Brisbane City address

Brisbane City Council’s starting point is its Flood Awareness Map. According to the council’s FloodWise Property Report page, you type in an address, lot plan or suburb, and a Flooding Overview panel shows a summary of flood types and their likelihood of affecting the property. From that panel you can download a FloodWise Property Report.

The council says the report shows the risk and type of flooding at a property. It includes:

  • Flood summary graph: shown where river, creek or storm tide flood levels have been assigned to the property.
  • Historic flood levels: the January 2011 and February 2022 flood levels, where available, so you can compare past events.
  • Aerial map: the property outlined in red, with green shading for the combined 1% AEP river, creek and storm tide flood extent adopted in City Plan.
  • Flood levels by likelihood: levels for 0.2%, 1%, 2%, 5% and 20% AEP events.
  • Ground and floor levels: minimum and maximum ground levels, an indicative existing floor level and the minimum habitable floor level.

Two notes on that page are worth reading twice. The aerial map does not show overland flow flooding. And if no river, creek or storm tide levels are assigned to a property, the council says flooding may still be a risk, including from overland flow, which appears as a development flag further down the report. The council also says the report is based only on information it has adopted and may not be complete.

For more on the city itself, see the Brisbane City council area guide.

Flood risk tools in Ipswich, Logan and Moreton Bay

Each council outside Brisbane City runs its own flood mapping, so use the tool for the council the property sits in. They look different, but you can search each one by address.

The Queensland Government’s buyer statement also points to two wider sources: the FloodCheck Queensland portal and the Australian Flood Risk Information portal, as noted in the Property Law Regulation 2024.

Questions to ask about flood risk before you sign

A map shows what the council has modelled and, in Brisbane, past flood levels. It cannot tell you whether water got inside that particular house. Fill the gap with a few direct questions, and get the answers in writing where you can.

  • To the agent: has the property, the yard or the garage ever taken water, and has any flood damage been repaired?
  • To the building inspector: can you look for signs of past water damage, such as staining, swelling or replaced linings? The prescribed buyer statement advises using a licensed building inspector or a qualified engineer, builder or pest inspector.
  • To your insurer: can you quote home insurance with flood cover for this exact address before I commit?
  • To your solicitor or conveyancer: what does the contract say about flood information, and do I need a condition before signing?

If the FloodWise report or another council map shows the property inside a flood extent, that does not automatically rule it out. The report’s floor level figures help you compare the house against modelled flood levels. Just make sure you know before you sign, and that your offer and your insurance quote take it into account.

Living with flood risk after you move to Brisbane

Once you have the keys, the same tools help you plan. Brisbane City Council’s FloodWise page says knowing your flood risk helps you prepare so you can reduce loss and damage to property and people. The Queensland Government’s Get Ready Queensland site walks through understanding local weather risks, making a plan and packing a kit, and links to local disaster dashboards. Ipswich runs its own disaster dashboard. For an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

Brisbane flood risk check: frequently asked questions

Does the seller have to tell me if the house has flooded?

Not under the disclosure statement. The Queensland Government’s seller disclosure scheme page lists flooding history among the details a seller is not required to include. Ask the agent directly, check the council map and get legal advice before you sign.

Does a FloodWise report show every kind of flooding?

No. Brisbane City Council says the report’s aerial map does not show overland flow, and that a property with no assigned river, creek or storm tide levels may still be at risk from overland flow. Read the development flags section as well as the summary.

What does 1% AEP mean?

It describes how likely a flood is in any one year. Brisbane City Council’s page on understanding flood likelihood says a 1% likelihood flood has a 1 in 100 chance of occurring in any year, and a 0.2% flood has a 1 in 500 chance. So a smaller percentage means a rarer flood.

Sources for this flood risk guide

Facts on this page were checked on 19 October 2026.

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