Flood damage restoration in Perth

Perth’s worst recorded water event was a storm, and in Western Australia the source of the water decides both the claim and whether a strata scheme’s statutory insurance responds at all.

Read from primary sources · Editor-reviewed · Current as at 20 September 2026

By the waterdamagequotesau.com editorial team · Published 20 September 2026 · Last reviewed 20 September 2026 · 10 min read

16 primary sources cited on this page. How we check what is on this site

The water event the Bureau of Meteorology calls one of the worst in Perth’s history was a storm: 22 March 2010, with damage damage estimated at over $1 billion, caused mainly by hail and flash flooding. That matters because the law treats storm water and flood water differently, and in a Western Australian strata scheme the statutory insurance treats them differently again.

Where the water came from, and what covers it

Perth water events against the Insurance Contracts Regulations 2017 and the WA strata insurance minimum. Read 27 September 2026.
What happened	Words in the regulations	WA strata statutory minimum
Rain through a storm-damaged roof	Storm, `reg 19(1)(a)(xiv)`	Included — storm and tempest
Flash flooding: run-off overwhelming drains	Not flood unless it left a listed waterbody; storm depends on wording	Storm is included; read how the policy words run-off
The Swan, Canning or a tributary over its banks	Flood, `reg 34(1)`	Excluded — “excluding damage by sea, flood or erosion”
Storm surge or high tide	The action of the sea, high water, `reg 19(1)(a)(xiv)`	Excluded — damage by sea
A burst main or sewer overflow	Escape of liquid, `reg 19(1)(a)(vi)` on your side; the network operator’s on theirs	Not a listed statutory risk; depends on the scheme’s policy

The third column is specific to Western Australia and easy to miss. The insurance a strata scheme must hold covers storm and tempest but excludes damage by sea, flood or erosion, so a unit owner whose building took river water may find the scheme’s policy does not respond unless the scheme bought flood cover on top. Ask the strata manager for the policy schedule before assuming either way.

Brown-ringed water stain spreading across a painted ceiling near a downlight — Storm water through a damaged roof shows up in the ceiling first. It is a storm claim, not a flood one.

Strata Titles Act 1985 (WA) s 97(1)(a) · version 08-a0-00, current from 26 June 2025, read 26 September 2026

Among the risks against which the scheme’s insurable assets must be insured, to replacement value, with lightning, explosion and earthquake. Section 97(5) requires insurance money to be applied to rebuilding, replacing, repairing or restoring the asset so far as lawful.

22 March 2010

Bureau of Meteorology, Perth in 2010 · read 27 September 2026

From the severe storms of 22 March 2010, which the Bureau describes as one of the worst in Perth’s history, caused mainly by large hail (up to 6 cm) and flash flooding; Perth Airport recorded its highest daily March rainfall on record. DFES says the SES received almost 2,000 calls for assistance.

Two things about that event describe the Perth pattern. The damage came from hail and flash flooding, not from a river, and it came with the first significant rain Perth had seen since November 2009. Storms in Perth’s part of the state occur more frequently between May and October (Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA), Storm overview), which is also when Perth’s mornings are dampest: mean 9am humidity at the airport is 82% in July.

Talk to the insurer before you sign anything

Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA), Recovering from a storm / Recovering from a flood · no date shown, read 27 September 2026

“To avoid additional bills.” DFES says the insurer will need to send an assessor, and that depending on its advice you may be able to begin repairs. For a tenant, the owner or landlord is responsible for organising site security. Calls for SES help are prioritised, so assistance may take hours or days.

That advice is the right order for a flood or storm claim, and it applies to us as much as anyone: a restoration company can make the building safe and start drying, but the insurer’s assessor is the one who decides what the policy pays for. Photograph everything first, and keep samples of wet carpet. If you rent, the landlord organises site security, and a roof leak or storm damage is an urgent repair: 24 hours for an essential service, 48 hours for other urgent repairs (Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (WA) s 43).

Get Perth flood and storm drying quoted

Four digits, and restoration companies advertising for your postcode call you back. Tell them whether your insurer has been told.

Whose drain is it?

Water Corporation, Your water service connection responsibilities · no date shown, read 27 September 2026

Managed and operated by Water Corporation, in addition to local government infrastructure. Water Corporation says local authorities manage stormwater systems, with street drains and gullies feeding its main drains, and that the two share responsibility for most of the network. The property owner pays for clearing a blockage in the wastewater property connection up to the sewer junction.

So a flooded street is a question for the council and Water Corporation, and a blocked pipe on your land is yours: the owner is responsible for the pipes from the property water meter and wastewater connection point to your residence (Water Corporation, Customer and service commitments). Water Corporation’s own commitment page describes the overflow relief gully as the fitting that prevents internal flooding when a blockage happens — keep it clear.

River flooding and the floodplain maps

Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (WA), Floodplain mapping tool · page dated 8 March 2023, read 27 September 2026

The defined flood event the tool shows, for land use planning. Site-specific flood advice is available by email from the department, which says the maps should not be used to make decisions during a flood emergency. Its Swan and Canning dataset says no new buildings are acceptable in the floodway.

For river flooding the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation maps the Swan and Canning floodplains and their tributaries, and offers site-specific flood advice by email. It is planning information, not a finding about your event, but it tells you whether a property sits where river water is expected.

What the SES does, and does not do

Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA), When to call the SES · no date shown, read 27 September 2026

The SES also helps with collapsed roofs or ceilings, sandbagging and pumping out flood water. It does not clear debris or organise permanent repairs, or attend to fences, pools or basic repairs you can manage yourself.

The Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner is the Hazard Management Agency (HMA) for cyclones, floods and storms (Government of Western Australia, State Hazard Plan – Severe Weather). The SES makes a building safe; the clean-up, drying and permanent repair are for you, your insurer and the trades you engage.

What flood drying costs in Perth

Drying totals on the published rate card, excluding GST. Drying only; not priced by city.
How much of the house	Days	Total
Two rooms, one HEPA unit	5	$2,669
Around half the floor area, one HEPA unit	7	$6,213

The rebuild is building work, and Western Australia’s home indemnity insurance applies over $20,000. The Perth page covers that and the double brick cavities a Perth leak has to be dried out of, and the national flood restoration guide the order of work. Where a disaster is declared, Disaster Assist (Australian Government), Disaster Recovery Payment is $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per child.

Common questions

Does WA strata insurance cover flood?

Not as a statutory minimum. The Strata Titles Act 1985 requires a scheme's insurable assets to be insured against fire, storm and tempest (excluding damage by sea, flood or erosion), lightning, explosion and earthquake. A scheme can buy more; its policy schedule says whether it has.

Is flash flooding in a Perth storm covered as flood?

It depends where the water came from. Under reg 34(1) of the Insurance Contracts Regulations 2017, flood is water that escaped from a lake, river, creek, other natural watercourse, reservoir, canal or dam. Rain that ran off roofs and roads and overwhelmed drains without leaving one of those is not flood under that definition, and whether it is covered as storm depends on the policy.

Should I call a restorer before my insurer after a Perth storm?

DFES advises checking with your insurance company before you enter a contract with cleaning or repair contractors, to avoid additional bills. The insurer will need to send an assessor, and depending on its advice you may be able to begin repairs.

Who is responsible for drains in Perth?

Water Corporation manages and operates over 40% of Perth's urban drainage network, in addition to local government drainage; local authorities manage stormwater systems such as street drains and gullies, and the two share responsibility for most of the network. Pipes from the water meter and wastewater connection point to the house are the owner's.

What does the SES do after a flood in Perth?

It makes temporary emergency repairs, helps with collapsed roofs or ceilings, sandbags and pumps out flood water. It does not clear debris or organise permanent repairs. DFES says calls are prioritised, so help may take hours or days.

When is storm season in Perth?

DFES says storms in WA's south west land division, which includes Perth, occur more frequently between May and October.

Sources cited on this page

Every figure above was read from the source it is attributed to on 20 September 2026. How we check this.