Could your home withstand a wild weather event? If you are feeling nervous about the next wet season, a $20 million state government scheme could help allay those fears.
Key points:
- Home owners can apply for more than $11,000 from the state government to help protect homes from extreme weather
- Roofing, doors, reinforcing windows among the improvements funded
- Insurance premiums on some properties have been brought down by 8.5 per cent in previous rounds of the grant
Here is how you could get your hands on cash to help fund home improvements and bring down your insurance premiums.
The Household Resilience Program was first introduced in 2018 to help homes in flood and cyclone risk areas north of Bundaberg.
The initiative is targeted at low-income households to replace roofs and doors, reinforce windows and tie down external structures.
The government will provide up to $11,250, with owners required to stump up 25 per cent of the total cost.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible, your home must have been built before 1984 and located 50 kilometers off the coast in locations north of Bundaberg.
Your weekly combined household income must be less than $1,801 for a couple with a child or $1,050 for an individual.
Will the building industry cope?
While the construction industry has been plagued by delays due to unprecedented demand in recent years, the pipeline of work is now beginning to show signs of slowing down.
Master Builders Queensland regional manager Emma Peters said the timing was right.
“Those HomeBuilder residential builds are now very much a work in progress, if not coming towards the end of having those properties finished now,” Ms Peters said.
“So this is very welcome.”
The last phase of the Household Resilience Program injected $8 million into the Townsville economy alone.
“Last time, north Queenslanders wholly embraced the program; about 45 per cent of the entire program was actually spent here in the Townsville region,” she said.
John Wilkinson runs a roofing company in north Queensland.
He said the program generated significant interest in his business during the last round.
“Yes, well definitely it’s been good for business,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“The nature of quoting for the job is the same as any other; it’s just that the funding comes from the government.”
With the wet season fast approaching it is hoped works can be undertaken to provide added protection to home owners, while also bringing down insurance premiums that continue to cause pain to many household budgets in the state’s north.
State government data has shown those who have participated in the past schemes have seen a drop of 8.5 per cent in their premiums.
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