What a property risk assessment is
On 1 May 2023, the New Zealand Government released an
Update on assessment of affected properties post cyclone and flooding outlining the three property risk categories.
A risk assessment helps us determine:
- how likely it is that future severe weather events would pose a risk to life
- if there is a way this risk could be managed so it is safe for people to live there.
This assessment gives us the information needed to apply a
risk category to your property.
Assessment of individual properties
The order we assess individual properties depends on:
- if the property was affected by flood, landslide or both
- the extent of storm damage
- the location of the property and the possible interventions and improvements that can be made in the general area
- if the occupants have been displaced from their home
- the complexity of the engineering assessment
- when the homeowner submitted their assessment request form.
For more information, visit
Step-by-step guide to a flood risk assessment for a series of short videos explaining the flood risk assessment process.
Site visits from council engineers
When our engineers meet with property owners on a site visit, they will:
- discuss the information provided in the flooding and landslide registration form
- fill any gaps in their knowledge about how the property flooded
- walk around with the owners to check where the damage occurred to help them identify the right solution for each property.
For more on this process, check our video,
A brief guide to site assessments for flood affected properties.
Why flood risk assessments take time
There are various factors involved in assigning a property categorisation following a site visit. These are explained in a helpful video.
Read the
full transcript of this video.
How do I register for the property categorisation programme?
Registrations for property risk assessments closed on 30 September 2024, and we are no longer accepting new homeowners into the programme.
Important risk assessment considerations
The risk assessment gives us the information we need to apply a risk category to your property.
A risk assessment has two parts:
- An initial desk assessment based on existing information and any information you provide. The desktop assessments involve information collected from property files, photographs, published geological information and
LiDAR data to calculate slope angles. This gives an indication of whether your property is likely to be low or high risk. It also tells us if a site assessment is needed.
- An on-site assessment to look at your physical property. This will be required if we think your home could be high risk.
The site assessments decide if there are changes that can be made at your property or in the surrounding area to reduce the future risk to the home of serious flooding or landslides.
If you are waiting for a risk category
We are working through a large number of assessments and will get to your property as soon as we can.
You can continue repair work on your property while waiting for a category. See our guide 'Progressing work while waiting for a category' in
Storm recovery documents to find out more.
Email
propertycategory@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz if you decide to sell your home while waiting for a risk category.
Read our summary on the assessment process to learn more, or you can
Get your own geotechnical report at your own cost.
Assessment process summary
Read our summary for the geotechnical and flood risk assessment process.
