Yeronga Townhouse - On flood map! What to do?

Hi all,

I've been doing a fair bit of searching, and came across this forum. Looks like a great place to get questions answered.

So the wife and I (first time property buyers) put in an offer on a nice townhouse in Yeronga, but it is apparently within a flood prone area. We did not know about flood maps right until after we put in the offer!

Apparently it will only be affected by a once in a hundred year flood, in which case it will receive 0.2m of flood water.

According to the property reports, units to the rear will not be affected, but from all external appearances, the units all seem to be on level ground. I am not sure if the flood map has been updated to reflect that the builder may have levelled the ground to the highest point during construction.

My worry is that the house might either get flooded at some stage, or will not perform well value wise as a result of this or might be difficult to sell in future. Would any of you go through with such a purchase?

Looking forward to your advice!
 
(a) insurance
(b) no problem selling because most people don't ever look at flood maps, and if they do, refer them to (a).
 
My worry is that the house might either get flooded at some stage, or will not perform well value wise as a result of this or might be difficult to sell in future.
I grew up in Yeronga,and was there during the 1974 Floods the house my parents owned was on the river,and the water came up that fast
that it went several mts over the top roof line,the only areas in Yeronga that was safe,was up near the small private school,Fast track to today nobody is worried about floods in that area if you say the area only the street i can give you a better idea,as i have all the hard-copy flood-maps
street by street,or look up the BCC flood maps,but they are different from the hardcopies i have,Yeronga is a rock solid investment area always has been for 40 years..imho..willair..
 
Thanks for the insight willair. Good to get an opinion from someone who has seen real flooding first hand! I guess these days drainage is better developed and managed, so the danger of a repeated 1974 style flood has become less of an issue. I've sent you a PM with a few more details ;)

This forum is awesome! If only I'd come across it when I was house hunting. Would have alleviated some of my stress.
 
Semi, if your offer is not accepted yet, revise it if they knock it back to include a due diligence clause that allows a week to do searches and get results to your satisfaction. Don't rely on your solicitor to uncover all the issues searches should find.

You should phone the brisbane city council and arrange for a 15 minute meeting with one of their town planners to explain the limitations of the zoning.

You would do well to get a contour map to find out whether the living areas of any of the apartments are below the designated flood level. Council should be able to provide this info. Re flooding, you will be interested in average recurrence interval (ARI) which is sometimes expressed as Q50+500....500mm being the height that living spaces should be above the once in 50 year average flood level. The elevation should be expressed as average height datum (AHD) metres.

You could also phone a private town planner for their view on the flood zoning. They should give you more info than the council, and generally they don't mind doing 5-10 minute phone call for free. If you don't know someone, PM me and I'll give you my TP's phone number.

As Ian has said, your insurance premium might be effected by the flood zoning, so phone a few insurance companies to enquire.

Since the buildign of the wivenhoe dam, there is very little chance Yeronga will ever flood again like it did in 74. However, if you are buying the apartment for a long term hold, the site will probably be compromised in what can be rebuilt on it in 15-25 years. You could use this to negotiate paying a lower price.

Apart from that, Yeronga is a very strategic place to buy, especially if it is in the 'O' street precinct.

edit: be aware that if the apartments went underwater in 74, you may have accelerated rot and termite, and electrical and plumbing issues with them.
 
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Just bear in mind that not all insurers provide cover for riverine flood. Best to ensure that you're covered before you take the policy out rather than when you go to make a claim...
 
Semi, if your offer is not accepted yet, revise it if they knock it back to include a due diligence clause that allows a week to do searches and get results to your satisfaction. Don't rely on your solicitor to uncover all the issues searches should find.

You should phone the brisbane city council and arrange for a 15 minute meeting with one of their town planners to explain the limitations of the zoning.

You would do well to get a contour map to find out whether the living areas of any of the apartments are below the designated flood level. Council should be able to provide this info. Re flooding, you will be interested in average recurrence interval (ARI) which is sometimes expressed as Q50+500....500mm being the height that living spaces should be above the once in 50 year average flood level. The elevation should be expressed as average height datum (AHD) metres.

You could also phone a private town planner for their view on the flood zoning. They should give you more info than the council, and generally they don't mind doing 5-10 minute phone call for free. If you don't know someone, PM me and I'll give you my TP's phone number.

As Ian has said, your insurance premium might be effected by the flood zoning, so phone a few insurance companies to enquire.

Since the buildign of the wivenhoe dam, there is very little chance Yeronga will ever flood again like it did in 74. However, if you are buying the apartment for a long term hold, the site will probably be compromised in what can be rebuilt on it in 15-25 years. You could use this to negotiate paying a lower price.

Apart from that, Yeronga is a very strategic place to buy, especially if it is in the 'O' street precinct.

edit: be aware that if the apartments went underwater in 74, you may have accelerated rot and termite, and electrical and plumbing issues with them.

The offer has been accepted, and I neglected to put in a due diligence cause.. Like I said, there is only the potential for flooding. The townhouse is relatively new, so it would have been flooded out before.

With regards to the ARI, the property flood report says it is Q100+500mm but the property is definitely over the Q50+500mm mark.

I should give BCC a ring to find out more though might be good to hear from the horses mouth.

Would any of you happen to have recommendations for insurers?
 
Our home (in Kenmore) was flooded to a depth of 800mm last year. My feeling is that provided you can obtain insurance (Suncorp were awesome), I wouldn't let it hold you back. It's extremely unlikely to happen during your time living there, and even if it does happen, so what? Keep all your sentimental photos etc at least a metre above the floor, or on the upper floor, and everything else can be replaced with insurance, and you get a free renovation. :cool:
 
i have all the hard-copy flood-maps
street by street,or look up the BCC flood maps,but they are different from the hardcopies

Wha...? Different? Oh, dear. I've been knocking back property after property in the areas Sandgate to Wynnum because the online BCC flood maps put them in the blue. Which is more accurate?
 
Horses for courses but I never buy in flood prone locations...

Check insurance fine print.............you may not be actually covered depending how any water gets to your property....its really russian roulette flood insurance..

be very careful....
 
With regards to the ARI, the property flood report says it is Q100+500mm but the property is definitely over the Q50+500mm mark.

Check the other apartments/townhouses and common areas.
If common property goes underwater, you'll pay via the body corp for clean ups and repairs.

And keep in mind if a building goes underwater, it compromises it in many ways. Electrical, plumbing, sewers, telecommunications, gyp rock walls may all be compromised. I had a building inspection done on a house in Sutton St, Chelmer on the river, that had gone under water. Utilities had been replaced but not the frame. Some walls were seriously out of plumb and there was extensive termites. The inspector told me termites are a more common problem in river homes. There was a 2 year old house three doors up that had been extensively infiltrated.
 
Perp: My wife is of a similar opinion, but I'd still like to be sure that I'm not buying into a property that will turn out to be a "lemon". It's a really good street with good neighbours, which is why we're still trying to see if there is a silver lining.

Insurance is a good solution like csc2 says, I need to be careful.

WinstonWolfe: The building inspection has been done, and was given the all clear. Like I said, the property has never been flooded, but is in an area that would flood in the event of a Q100 type flood. I'm thinking the longer I live there the higher a chance of this happening.

I've email council to find out more. The thing is - I'm not sure if the flood map takes into account any building that has taken place there. The townhouse is in a row of 4 built along what may have been sloping ground. The front 2 will supposedly get affected by flooding, but the rear 2 will not.

From visual inspection, it would seem that the ground has been leveled out so that all 4 sit on the same elevation in line with the rear unit, thus placing all of them on the highest elevation. I cannot confirm this, but I hope that council will have more insight.

It seems that so far I've received some mixed reactions. Investment wise, it might not be the best place to buy into. I guess I just need to weigh up if the potential for growth can outweigh the elephant in the room so to speak.
 
It seems that so far I've received some mixed reactions. Investment wise, it might not be the best place to buy into. I guess I just need to weigh up if the potential for growth can outweigh the elephant in the room so to speak.

Anywhere near the river in Yeronga would be a better than average growth investment, as long as you discount the risks discussed in your purchase price.
 
Check insurance fine print.............you may not be actually covered depending how any water gets to your property....its really russian roulette flood insurance..

be very careful....
It's true that most insurance policies cover only for stormwater damage, and not for flood. What's the difference?

Stormwater is water that falls onto your property, and accumulates there because it can't drain away quickly enough, or water that runs onto your property from uphill, on its way down the hill. Pretty much all policies cover these two types of water damage.

Flood, however, is water which comes onto your property from downhill, due to rising of a body of water (ie creek or river). Most policies exclude cover for flood. Suncorp is one of the few which does cover flood.

I maintain that if you have one of the few policies that cover flood, and you still think it's a good investment taking into account the cost of insurance cover, then I don't think it's a big deal.
 
Wha...? Different? Oh, dear. I've been knocking back property after property in the areas Sandgate to Wynnum because the online BCC flood maps put them in the blue. Which is more accurate?
The only property that we control that does not go under the old 1974 Flood maps is on a hill facing the CBD,all the rest if it ever happens again
would flood,One of the 2 at Rocklea flood everytime it rains and the small creek just runs into the park and onto the property no big problem
the last time it did a few years ago Councillar David Hinchliller was walking up the street in the mud too have a look at the problem first hand so the BCC know full well of the problems in that area,Very Good Honest upfront Man,,i can never understand why people worry about floods in Brisbane,as quick as it comes up it goes down,and the tenants have water views,but with Yeronga it still shocks me with the old photos Dutton Park-Fairfield-parts of the lower end of Annerley there was a massive public dump in Fairfield back then where the RSPCA and all the way back into the corso went under in a very big way but ask any RE about it and all you will get is a blank look and they will start talking about some elde very quickly....imho..willair..
http://pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au/MasterView/masterplan/enquirer/default.aspx
http://pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au/MasterView/masterplan/enquirer/default.aspx?page=search
or just use this number, PH 07 34038888 very good people to deal with at the BCC..
 
Perp: I've had a look at home and contents with Suncorp. Not too expensive at all. Around $670 a year for classic. If Suncorp is not too bothered by the flooding issue I don't think I should be either.

willair: The interactive mapping on those links you provided were quite helpful. I kind of understand the lay of the land better. I am increasingly convinced that the plot was elevated during construction.

I'm going round to have another look maybe later today. I think the general consensus is that Yeronga is a good place to get into, and the small risk of flooding is not something to be overly concerned about.

Also saw on Brisbane Times today that they are going to be upgrading the rail lines in the vicinity in the near future.
 
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