Residential Property Buy-back Scheme

Brisbane City Council allocates funding to purchase residential properties which flood the most frequently. The Voluntary Home Purchase Scheme is not a forced resumption of land and selling is the choice of the property owner.

The voluntary buy-back of homes that are at risk of frequent creek or local flooding is a key action of the Lord Mayor's Taskforce on Suburban Flooding.

Eligibility criteria

The property must meet all four eligibility criteria to be considered for purchase:

1. The home is predicted to have a 50% chance of creek and local flooding in any year. This means that the home must be within the extent of a predicted two year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) creek flood event.
2. The property must be in a residential zone.
3. Floodwaters must inundate the residential dwelling on the property.
4. There is no other solution to stop the property flooding, such as the installation of pipes.

How to apply

The determine if a property meets the eligibility criteria for purchase, submit a request in writing to:

Water Resources Branch
City Planning and Sustainability Division
Brisbane City Council
GPO Box 1434
Brisbane Qld 4001

Purchasing process

Council will obtain a valuation from an independent valuer for all properties considered for purchase. Both Council and the property owner must agree on a price before the home can be purchased under this scheme. 

Each year, as funding becomes available, the properties on offer to Council are prioritised according to the frequency and depth of creek flooding that is predicted to happen in the future. Offers are not made on a first come, first served basis.  

Future land use

Properties purchased under the Voluntary Home Purchase Scheme may be used by Council for conservation, drainage easements or parklands. Flood prone areas will not be redeveloped for future residential use.

More information

For more information about the scheme, download the Voluntary Home Purchase Scheme Fact Sheet (PDF - 650kb).