Flood risk in Auckland: check before you rent or buy

Auckland floods fast and close to home. Ten minutes with the council's Flood Viewer before you sign can save you a soggy, expensive year.

The short version

Most flooding in Auckland is flash flooding, caused by heavy rain running off steep, short catchments [1].
The free Auckland Flood Viewer shows flood plains, overland flow paths, flood-prone areas and coastal inundation risk for any address [2].
The same flood information is available on a LIM, the council report buyers order before committing [2][5].
Tenants should get contents insurance. The landlord's policy doesn't cover your things [8].
If a rental becomes uninhabitable after a flood, either side can end the tenancy on short notice [9].

What Auckland learned in 2023

On Friday 27 January 2023, the start of Auckland Anniversary weekend, about 258mm of rain fell at Auckland Airport in a single day, smashing the previous record of 161.8mm [3]. Four people died. A month later, 357 homes had red placards, meaning they were unsafe to enter, and 943 had yellow placards [3]. Cyclone Gabrielle hit the North Island two weeks later [3].

The floods hit suburbs that didn't think of themselves as flood zones. Water followed old stream beds that had been piped, pooled in low streets and raced down driveways. That's the key lesson: in Auckland, flood risk isn't only about living near a river or the beach.

The property risk categories

After the 2023 storms, Auckland Council assessed affected homes and placed them into risk categories. Category 1 properties were judged able to be repaired and lived in as before. Category 2 properties needed work, either on the property or in the wider community, to bring the risk down. Category 3 properties were judged too dangerous to keep living in. In October 2023, the council accepted a cost-sharing deal with the Government worth over NZ$2 billion, which included buying out hundreds of Category 3 properties [3].

If you're buying in a flood-hit suburb, ask whether the property was categorised and what happened next. If you're renting, it's a fair question too.

Why Auckland floods differ from what you know at home

Many Australians grew up with river floods: the Brisbane River, the Hawkesbury-Nepean, the Murray. Those build over days. Auckland's are usually different.

Auckland Emergency Management says the region's geography means "most flooding is flash flooding" [1]. Water rises quickly, moves fast and can carry debris. The council lists four types [1]:

Type	What happens	Where to watch for it
Flash flooding	Rapid flooding soon after heavy rain	Steep, short catchments across the region [1]
Surface flooding	Rain pools because drains are blocked or overwhelmed	Low streets, dips, ground-floor flats [1]
River flooding	Streams and rivers overflow	Homes beside streams, including piped ones [2]
Coastal flooding	Tides and storms combine	Low-lying coastal suburbs [1]

Three terms on the council's maps are worth knowing [2]:

Overland flow path: the natural course water takes across land. In heavy rain it can turn into a temporary, fast-flowing stream.
Flood plain: an area predicted to be covered by floodwater in heavy rain, often low-lying land beside streams, including where streams were historically piped.
Flood-prone area: a low spot where water gets trapped and collects.

A house at the bottom of a steep slope, near a stream, or surrounded by concrete and roofs that can't soak up water is at higher risk [2].

How to check a property

Here's the routine we'd follow for any Auckland address, rental or purchase.

Open the Auckland Flood Viewer (aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/floodviewer). It's free and shows flood plains, overland flow paths, flood-prone areas and coastal inundation risk [2]. Zoom right in. A flow path that runs through the back garden matters more than one two streets away.
Check the Natural Hazards Portal. It shows past EQC and Natural Hazards Commission claims across New Zealand [6]. A history of claims on a street tells you something.
Walk the street in the rain. Look for ponding, silt marks on fences and drains that back up.
Look at the house itself. Is the floor raised or on a slab at ground level? Is there a basement or a garage converted into a bedroom? The council warns against sleeping in garages or basements that could flood [2].
Ask direct questions (see the list below).
For buyers, order a LIM. The flood information on the Flood Viewer is also available on a LIM report [2], and a LIM may include flood history and potential hazards [4].
For buyers, confirm insurance early. Make sure you can insure the house well before settlement, because lawyers and lenders may require proof of cover [4].

Council flood modelling is updated from time to time, so recheck the viewer before you sign, even if you looked months ago [2].

Buying: LIMs, insurance and the Natural Hazards Commission

The LIM

A Land Information Memorandum is a council report you order for a specific property. It summarises what council departments hold on the day it's produced [5]. There's a fee and it can take several days, so order it through your lawyer or conveyancer early [5]. The New Zealand Government's home-buying site says a LIM and the property title may include "a history of flooding as well as potential flooding hazards" [4].

A LIM only shows what the council knows. Pair it with a building inspection and your own checks.

Insurance in two layers

Home insurance in New Zealand works differently from Australia. Cover is provided by both the Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) and your private insurer [4]. The NHC, called the Earthquake Commission (EQC) until 1 July 2024, provides a first layer of natural hazard cover funded by a compulsory levy on home insurance policies, and private insurers usually cover damage above what it pays [7]. Australia has no direct equivalent: there, flood cover is simply part of (or excluded from) your private policy.

Insurers are pricing natural hazard risk more closely. The Government's home-buying site warns that premiums may increase, exclusions may be added, and cover may be withdrawn for some properties as risk changes [4]. Ask your insurer for a quote on the exact address before you go unconditional. Coastal erosion isn't covered by the NHC, so check private cover for coastal homes [4].

Questions the Government suggests buyers ask [4]:

Has the home had an NHC (or EQC) claim? Was it resolved, and what repairs were done?
What protects the property from rising water?
Can the property be insured, and at what cost?
How accessible is the road during storms?

Renting: what to ask and what you're entitled to

Most Australians arriving under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement rent first. You can't order building inspections on a rental, but you can still do steps 1 to 5 above in half an hour.

What to ask the landlord or agent

Has this property flooded, or had water come inside, including the garage?
Was it placed in a risk category after the 2023 storms?
Is any bedroom below ground level or in a converted garage?
Where do the gutters and downpipes drain?
What insurance does the property have, and what's the excess?

Landlords must include insurance information in any new tenancy agreement, including whether the property is insured and the excess on relevant policies [8]. They also have to meet the healthy homes moisture and drainage standard, which requires efficient drainage, guttering and downpipes, and a ground moisture barrier under an enclosed subfloor [10].

Your rights if it floods

Tenancy Services sets out what happens after a natural disaster [9]:

What happened	What it means for you
Home destroyed or uninhabitable	Either side can end the tenancy. Landlord gives 7 days' notice, tenant 2 days, for periodic and fixed-term tenancies [9]
Partly damaged	Rent should drop; either side can ask the Tenancy Tribunal to end the tenancy [9]
Damaged but livable	Landlord should reduce the rent [9]
You move out for repairs	No rent until it can be lived in again [9]
Water damage	Landlord dries the property and pays the power used to do it [9]

Tenants aren't responsible for natural disaster damage to the property or the clean-up [9]. Your own furniture, laptop and clothes are a different story. The landlord's insurance doesn't cover tenants' belongings, so Tenancy Services recommends contents insurance and suggests considering personal liability cover too [8]. If you carelessly damage the property, your liability is capped at four weeks' rent or the landlord's insurance excess, whichever is lower [8].

Getting ready for the next big rain

Auckland Emergency Management suggests a few simple steps for everyone [1]:

Make a household plan that includes pets, and know your route to higher ground.
Keep enough supplies for at least three days.
Clear gutters and drains, and keep valuables and documents up high [1][2].
Never drive, walk or play in floodwater. If water comes inside, turn off the power at the mains [1].
Report blocked stormwater drains to the council on 09 301 0101, and call 111 if lives or property are at immediate risk [1].

Make sure family in Australia know how you'll contact them if phones and power go down. In a major disaster, Smartraveller and the Australian High Commission can help with consular issues, but in a flood your first call is always 111.

Living in Auckland and want to know how a particular street fared in 2023? Ask in Cooee New Zealand, our Facebook group for Australians in New Zealand.

Flood risk in Auckland: how to check a home before you rent or buy