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A house on Oleander Street in Holloways Beach was largely destroyed by rushing water during the Far North Queensland floods.Photo: Peter Carruthers
As Queenslanders begin to deal with the impact of Cyclone Jasper and flooding in Far North Queensland, the property industry is rallying to support those affected.
Here are some resources, advice, information, and even places to start looking for a place to call home temporarily.
The Barron River in Cairns, in far north Queensland, has reached record flooding peaks, closing roads and submerging homes in the catchment area.Photo: Brendan Radke
Free spare room
Flatmates.com.au has introduced disaster relief measures in flood-affected areas, including the ability to list a spare room for free, to help people who need a place to rest their heads.
Claudia Conley, Community Manager, Flatmates.com.au There is no site fee to list your disaster relief property or connect with people looking for short-term accommodation during this period.
“Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate and require short-term crisis response as flooding continues in Queensland,” she said.
“To help match people with spare rooms with people in need of a place to stay, Flatmates.com.au has launched a disaster relief page.
“Properties advertised on Flatmates.com.au's Disaster Relief page are free of charge, free of charge and free of charge to provide emergency accommodation to flood-affected people and emergency workers supporting recovery efforts. It will be listed with a deposit.”
Mr Conley said anyone who wanted to offer a room to those in need could simply list their location on Flatmates.com.au and opt-in as a “disaster relief list”.
For more information, please visit this website.
Garry Henry clears floodwater from his Caravonica home after former tropical cyclone Jasper caused massive flooding in Cairns, far north Queensland.Photo: Brendan Radke
Help for tenants
The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) is offering a range of resources to help tenants affected by cyclones and floods.
These include a natural disaster webpage, a natural disaster fact sheet, and a step-by-step guide for tenants affected by natural disasters.
There are also RTA podcast episodes discussing mold, storms, cyclones, flooding and when a property becomes uninhabitable.
The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) also advised tenants to seek support from the RTA and refer to its resources.
REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said REIQ encourages stakeholders involved in rental agreements to work together and treat each other with respect, with patience and understanding.
“We would like to remind both property owners and tenants of the increased demand on property managers during natural disasters, which can result in delayed response and processing times and prioritization based on needs and exigencies. Please understand that it is expensive,” she said.
“Unfortunately, in a natural disaster like this, given that each agency is uniquely positioned in terms of staff resources, size of rent roll, and number of properties affected, the standard from property managers There are no standard communication protocols or response times, making business difficult and in some cases even affecting offices and personal residences.
“It is also very difficult to assess the extent of the damage while the situation is still unfolding for many people, so we are asking for patience and understanding from all parties to the lease. I’m looking for it.”
Many residents of Far North Queensland had to be evacuated from their homes after severe flooding caused by former Tropical Cyclone Jasper, including Far North Queensland Regiment, 51st Air Regiment, 5th Aviation Regiment. This included this Ujal-Ujal woman who was carried aboard a Chinook by soldiers from her battalion. Photo: ADF
Resources for real estate professionals
REIQ is also supporting its role, including leveraging its online disaster toolkit resources to ensure real estate professionals have the right information to assist landlords, tenants, and sellers affected by flooding. I accomplished it.
REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said REIQ developed a disaster toolkit in response to the Townsville floods and is continuing to develop it to make it relevant to a variety of events.
“This has served the property community well during cyclones, storms, floods and bushfires, and we hope it will once again be of assistance to property professionals in the Far North in the wake of this disaster,” she said. Stated.
“Far North Queensland's rental market is already experiencing very tight vacancy rates, with Cairns having a vacancy rate of less than 1%.
“We are concerned that this disaster will put further strain on rental supply as residents are displaced during necessary repairs and, in some cases, long-term rebuilding.”
The Disaster Toolkit can be accessed from the REIQ website.
