A RETIRED couple is concerned their property’s value will drop and their insurance premiums will rise after it was classed as a flood risk.
Joanne Riggall said Brisbane City Council’s updated FloodWise Property Reports stated her property could flood to 4m or 4.1m in 2 per cent and 1 per cent chance flood events.
Previously, the property was considered at no risk of flooding. “We’ve been in the ‘74 flood and every major flood since then and had no flooding at our property at all,” she said.
Mrs Riggall said the change also affected her neighbours and they were all concerned their property values would go down and insurance premiums go up.
She called on the council to include a disclaimer on reports stating the property had not been flooded in recorded history.
A Brisbane City Council spokeswoman said “implementing a disclaimer would not be possible”.
“It would be extremely difficult to determine consistent data about flooding at any one property,” she said.Adding confusion to Mrs Riggall concerns, the FloodWise report puts her property at risk but council’s Flood Awareness Maps list the property as safe.
A council spokeswoman said FloodWise Property Reports were specific to individual lots, whereas Flood Awareness Maps were generalised across an area.
The spokeswoman said the council updated the reports in September 2015 with data from 12 creek flood studies.
She said 22,276 properties had their risk decreased, while 5397 properties’ risk was increased.