The Queensland Government says up to 1000 additional homeowners inundated by major flooding will be eligible for funding to raise property heights following a change in program criteria.

The change, made in response to feedback, applies to homeowners who previously didn’t meet house raising criteria but were instead assessed as eligible for funding under a resilient retrofit option.

“We know many in the community are still dealing with the lasting impacts of these devastating floods, which is why we are doing more for those impacted households,” Public Works and Procurement Minister Mick de Brenni said today.

Households who previously registered their homes under the Resilient Homes Fund will now be eligible for funding under the $100,000 House Raising Program, or can use funds originally intended for a resilient retrofit to instead raise their home.

“Not only is this good news for flood affected Queenslanders, but it also means fewer insurance claims and lower premiums following extreme flooding in the future,” Mr de Brenni said.

The Government has set up a register of contractors to help people accessing the support to find suitable builders and trades people.

The $741 million Resilient Homes Fund, jointly funded by the state and federal governments, was established to help householders across 39 local government areas impacted by the 2021-22 floods.

The assistance has included repair programs to enhance resilience as well as raising or demolishing, and rebuilding or relocating flood-affected homes. The widened eligibility will take effect following a regulatory change.

“While resilience retrofit works for many homeowners and their homes, many will welcome this change to improve their flood resilience,” contractor Raise My House Operations Manager Adam Seager said.