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Flood insurance
Our table shows home insurance policies that can include flood insurance. Filter, compare and click through for a quote.
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We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
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- Compare house and contents insurance with flood cover
- What is considered "flood damage"?
- What is flood insurance coverage?
- What type of floods are covered?
- How much is home insurance with flood cover?
- How important is flood insurance?
- How do I find the best flood insurance?
- How do I find the cheapest flood insurance?
- What flood insurance does not cover
- How different brands define flood insurance
- How do I know if I'm in a flood zone?
- Does car insurance cover flood damage?
- Frequently asked questions

What is considered "flood damage"?
In the world of insurance, a flood is only classed as a flood if the water escaped from a watercourse, such as a lake, river, dam or reservoir, and has caused damage to your home and property.
What is flood insurance coverage?
Flood insurance is designed to protect your home from a sudden deluge of water that happens unexpectedly. That said, the definition of a flood varies from policy to policy and you aren't guaranteed to be covered simply because your house was damaged by water.
Cover goes towards paying for the repair or replacement of your home and/or contents, up to your policy limit. For example:
- Structural work to repair a flooded foundation.
- Replacing your television set if damaged by flood water seeping into the electronics.
- Temporary accommodation while your house is being repaired.
What type of floods are covered?
While the exact types of floods covered in your policy will depend on your insurer, the following table should give a general idea whether a particular flood type is usually covered. Check your specific policy documents to see what level of cover you have.
Type of flood | Does flood insurance cover it? | |
---|---|---|
Water escaping from natural courses like rivers, creeks and water catchment systems. | Most likely | |
Sudden water run-off from a storm, including overflowing storm drains and creeks. | Most likely | |
Escaped liquid and water from burst pipes or overflowing sinks, baths, etc. | Most likely | |
Tsunami waves from a volcanic eruption or an earthquake. | Unlikely | |
Flash flooding | Depends | |
Action of the sea, including high tides, king tides or the rise and fall of ocean levels. | Unlikely | |
Man-made flooding (from a broken storm drain or non-natural sewer backup). | Unlikely |
How much is home insurance with flood cover?
Brand | Policy name | Yearly cost with flood cover | Yearly cost without flood cover | Difference | Apply |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Smart Home & Contents | $1,665.76 | $1,498.10 | $167.66 | Get quote |
![]() | Virgin Home & Contents | $1,682.42 | $1,513.09 | $169.33 | More info |
![]() | Home Insure Plus Home & Contents | $1,682.44 | $1,513.09 | $169.35 | More info |
![]() | Home & Contents | $2,137.43 | $2,114.19 | $23.24 | More info |
![]() | Essential Care | $1,981.72 | Not an option | n/a | More info |
![]() | Essential Care | $1,981.72 | Not an option | n/a | More info |
![]() | Essential | $1,943.25 | Not an option | n/a | More info |
How important is flood insurance?
Hundreds of thousands of Australians live in flood-prone areas. If you're one of them, it might be worth investing in flood cover. According to our research, it only costs a little bit more than a normal policy.
If you're not sure whether your property is at risk of flooding, your local council should be able to help and may even be able to provide you with flood maps for the area. You can also check the government's Flood Risk Information Portal, which helps people understand the flood risks of their local area.
If you decide that you don't need flood insurance, but it comes as standard with your home insurance policy, it may be worth contacting your insurance provider to see if you can opt-out of the cover. In some cases, this will reduce your premium.
How do I find the best flood insurance?
While there is no such thing as a universally "best" policy that works for everyone, you can find a policy that works well for you by doing the following:
Compare your options
Compare the features of different home insurance policies.
Check the exclusions
Watch out for things like tsunami exclusions if you live near the ocean.
Contact your insurer
Got any questions? Your insurer can probably answer them.
How do I find the cheapest flood insurance?
Purchasing cheap flood insurance offers the same risks as purchasing cheap home and contents insurance, since flood cover is usually attached. Underinsuring your home and contents with a cheap policy means that your policy may not pay out enough to cover any damage, leaving you with a large bill.
The policy may also have narrower definitions of a flood, or a larger number of exclusions. For example, some policies offer cover for damage from earth movement or subsidence that occurs within 72 hours of a storm or heavy rain, but as a rule, cheaper policies will have fewer inclusions.
Flood insurance will, of course, be cheaper the lower your insurer judges your risk of flood to be, too.
What flood insurance does not cover
Common exclusions for flood insurance (beyond what type of flood is covered) are:
- Damage within a certain period after purchasing the policy (for example, 3–7 days).
- Damage to things outside of your home, like walls, paths, driveways and gardens.
- Subsequent loss such as business losses due to being unable to access the damaged property.
- Some insurers will let you adjust the amount of flood damage cover you have to help lower your premiums. This is good for getting a cheaper policy, but just make sure you don't underinsure your home and valuables.
How different brands define flood insurance
How do I know if I'm in a flood zone?
You can contact your local council or talk to your insurer. They should both be able to let you know if you're in a flood zone. You can also enter your details into the Australian Flood Risk Information Portal, which will give you a breakdown of risk within your local area.
Does car insurance cover flood damage?
Flood cover is included in most comprehensive car insurance policies. Like home insurance, if you keep your car in an area prone to flooding, your premiums might be higher.
There is also likely to be a waiting period, which means you won't be covered for any flood damage that occurs within the first few days after purchasing your policy. However, the exact time period varies between insurers.
Frequently asked questions
The vast majority of home insurance policies will already include cover for rainwater and storm damage, even if you don't have flood insurance specifically.
There will be some exclusions – for example, gradual seepage or slow leaks – but generally, damage from rainwater will be included in your standard home insurance policy.
Some insurance companies will include flood damage as standard, but others only offer the cover as an optional extra, which you will have to pay more for.
If you're not sure whether you're covered for flood damage, check your product disclosure statement (PDS) carefully, or contact your insurance company directly to find out.
As a renter, you normally won't need to purchase home insurance. However, if your property is at risk of flooding, make sure your contents insurance includes flood cover and that you have a high enough sum insured to protect your belongings.
There are a few things you'll need to do before, during and after a flood. Check out these checklists to help you better prepare.
Sam Baran is a writer for Finder, covering topics across the tech, telco and utilities sectors. They enjoy decrypting technical jargon and helping people compare complex products easily. When they aren't writing, you'll find Sam's head buried in a book or working on their latest short story. Sam has a Bachelor of Advanced Science from the University of Sydney.
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We had a lot of rain & our Rivers came down in to our town dam the gates opened the water came into the river witch came up & flooded our town…can you get flood insurance for that cheers
Hi Polly,
I’m sorry to hear that.
You won’t be covered for damages if they have already occurred without holding a flood insurance policy at the time. But if you’re preparing for the future, you can compare brands side-by-side in the table above. Look for those who specifically offer flood insurance and get direct quotes from the insurer.
Regards,
James