If your property is damaged because of a sewage overflow or burst water main, regardless of whether the overflow or burst occurred in a section of the network that you are responsible for, or in a part of our network, we recommend:

  • property owners contact their insurance company as soon as possible, or
  • tenants contact their landlord as soon as possible.

Each situation is different. The information provided on this page is intended only to provide a general guide for you in the event of damage to your property. It is not intended to be comprehensive nor does it constitute legal advice. If you are in doubt, you should seek legal or other professional advice.

If you are a property owner, you should contact your insurance company as soon as possible, or if you are a tenant you should contact your landlord. Every home insurance claim is unique and the process varies, however, you will most likely need to supply your insurer with: 

  • your name and contact details,
  • an incident description,
  • details of any loss or damage.

Interior clean up. If the inside of your home has been impacted by a sewage overflow, please lodge a claim with your insurer. They should organise the urgent clean up and restoration of your property and will liaise with us about your insurance claim.

Exterior clean up. If the incident is caused by a problem with our network, we will assist with an initial clean-up of the yard or grounds around your home. We follow a clean up procedure established under guidance from Queensland Health, which includes removing any solid material, and rinsing and disinfecting the affected area to kill off bacteria and smell associated with sewage. As an additional precaution, we advise people to stay away from impacted areas for 48 hours to allow sunshine to kill off any remaining bacteria.

In this situation, we will also conduct an evaluation of our pipes to determine the cause of the incident and assess the steps required to minimise future issues.

If you have to pay an excess as part of your insurance policy and the failure is in a section of the network that you are responsible for, you will need to pay the excess. If the failure is with our network, we may assist you.

If the overflow or burst has occurred in our network and you do not have any insurance cover or your insurer rejects your claim, we may, depending on the circumstances, provide you with some assistance. If this is the case, you may be asked to substantiate your situation with regards to your insurance cover.

Please contact us as soon as possible on 13 26 57 (8am-5pm weekdays).

If you have insurance, but choose not to refer the matter to your insurer, you will need to pay for the repair of damages and replacement costs incurred on your property. This is regardless of whether the failure is in pipes that you are responsible for or in a part of our network.

Insurance premiums can increase due to a number of factors including natural disasters and multiple claims on your policy. As such, we will not cover any increase in your premium.


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