News Corp Australia Network

A house on Oleander St in Holloways Beach was largely destroyed by a fast moving torrent of water during flooding in Far North Queensland. Picture: Peter Carruthers

---

As Queenslanders begin to deal with the fallout from Cyclone Jasper and flooding in Far North Queensland, the real estate industry is rallying to help those affected.

Here are a few places to start looking for resources, advice and information, and even a temporary place to call home.

The Barron River in Cairns, Far North Queensland, reached a record flood peak, with roads closed and homes flooded in the catchment area. Picture: Brendan Radke

---

FREE SPARE ROOMS

Flatmates.com.au has introduced disaster relief measures in flood-affected areas, including the ability to list spare rooms for free to help those in need of a place to rest their heads.

Claudia Conley, Flatmates.com.au community manager there would be no site fees to list a disaster relief property or to connect with those looking for short-term accommodation during this period.

“Due to the ongoing floods in Queensland, hundreds of people have been displaced and are in need of short-term crisis accommodation,” she said.

“In order to help facilitate the matching of people who have spare rooms to the people in need of a place to stay, Flatmates.com.au has launched a disaster relief page.

“Properties advertised on the Flatmates.com.au disaster relief page will be listed with free rent, bills and bond in order to provide crisis accommodation for those who have been affected by the floods or for contingency workers assisting with recovery efforts.”

Ms Conley said anyone wishing to offer a room to those in need simply needed to list their place on Flatmates.com.au and opt-in as a ‘disaster relief listing’.

To find out more, visit the website here.

Garry Henry sweeps flood water from a house at Caravonica, after ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper caused major flooding in Cairns, Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radk

---

HELP FOR TENANTS

The Residential Tenancy Authority (RTA) has a suite of resources that may be helpful for tenants impacted by the cyclone and floods.

These include the natural disaster web page, the natural disaster fact sheet and a step-by-step guide for tenants impacted by natural disasters.

There are also RTA podcast episodes discussing mould, storms, cyclones and flooding, and when a property becomes unlivable.

Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) also advised tenants to seek support from the RTA and refer to their resources.

REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said the REIQ encouraged stakeholders involved in tenancies to work together, and to treat one another respectfully with patience and understanding.

“We ask that both property owners and tenants be mindful of the heightened demand on property managers during natural disaster events and understand that response and processing times are likely to be delayed and prioritised based on needs and emergency situations,” she said.

“Unfortunately, in a natural disaster such as this, there is no standard communication protocol or response time from property managers given each agency is in a unique position in terms of staff resourcing, size of their rent roll, the number of affected properties they’re managing, and in some cases whether their offices or personal residences have been impacted too.

“It is also quite difficult to assess the extent of the damage while the situation is still unfolding for many, so what we ask for is patience and understanding from all parties in a tenancy.”

Many Far North Queenslanders needed to be evacuated from their homes after major flooding caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper, including this Wujal Wujal woman being assisted onto a Chinook by soldiers from 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment, and 5th Aviation Regiment. Picture: ADF

---

RESOURCES FOR REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS

The REIQ was also doing its bit, with an online Disaster Toolkit resource to ensure real estate professionals were armed with the correct information to help lessors, tenants and sellers affected by the floods.

REIQ CEO Antonia Mercorella said the REIQ developed the Disaster Toolkit in response to the Townsville floods and continued to build on it to make it relevant in a variety of events.

“It has served the real estate community well in cyclones, storms, floods and bushfires, and we hope it can be assistance again for real estate professionals in the Far North in the wake of this disaster,” she said.

“The rental market in Far North Queensland is already experiencing extremely tight vacancy rates, with Cairns sitting at less than one per cent.

“We’re concerned about the additional strain this disaster will put on rental supply, as residents are displaced from their homes during essential repairs and in some cases, lengthy rebuilds.”

The Disaster Toolkit can be accessed through the REIQ website.