Toolkit for licensed contractors

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In the wake of the devastating 2021/22 floods, thousands of Queenslanders were left to recover, rethink and rebuild their homes.

So the Queensland and Australian governments launched the Resilient Homes Fund, a $741 million fund helping flood affected residents rebuild safer, stronger and more resiliently.

Eligible homeowners applied through a simple online portal designed to be supportive from start to finish. Case managers were available to builder and homeowners to provide specific advice throughout the entire process.

The fund offered three tailored building solutions: home raising, demolition and rebuild, and resilient retrofitting, giving homeowners an option to choose which solution best fit their needs.

Every house is different and every family is different. So each home was individually assessed to help homeowners understand their flood risk and what option was best suited to them.

There is absolutely no way in the world that I would have been able to raise this house following that flood, without the help of the Resilient Homes Fund.

Dealing with the Resilient Homes program, we didn't have any troubles at all. We found the process to be quite simple. We followed the guidelines and, and we found with Sue’s case here
that we didn't have any issues with it and the build was able to go ahead nice and quickly. The whole process was pretty straightforward.

Our team worked with homeowners and the building industry collaboratively to ensure homes weren't just rebuilt, but rebuilt stronger and more resilient.

We've learnt that no matter how big or unexpected the project is just to work at it, do the research, there are people who are willing to help if you ask, and people who are willing to both point you in the right direction and provide the assistance that you might need. Stick with it, coming out of the other end, you will end up with something that that will give you peace of mind in terms of your home resilience going forward.

The program also provided practical tools and information to help Queenslanders better understand resilience and how to reduce their flood risk.

Well, we get our 100 year events every three years now, so I think we're pretty prepared for the next 4 or 5 of them. Like, obviously we'll get water in, but it comes up and it goes away just as quick, so, I don't think we need to worry too much more about anything really, now that we're up in the air. So (yeah) it's just relieved a lot of that stressful side of it.

We're building back stronger. To learn more visit qld.gov.au/resilient homes

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About flood resilient design

Flood resilient design is one of many ways Queenslanders can build their resilience to floods.

It involves adapting the design, construction and materials incorporated into buildings to minimise damage caused by floodwaters. Resilience measures are not new, materials have been around for many years and there is a growing demand among homeowners for resilient, sustainable homes.

Incorporating resilient building design may reduce the effort, cost and time of clean up and recovery which means people can return to their home faster following a flood.

Flooding is a natural part of the environment but as the frequency and intensity of floods increase, building homes that are better equipped to withstand the next event is becoming more important than ever.

Variations to approved work

If there are any variations to the approved works under the Letter of Offer, homeowners will be required to submit a Variation Request form to QRIDA, together with any supporting information such as:

• a revised quote
• scope of works
• relevant photos.

Variations should be approved prior to commencing with the variation work. Variation requests will be processed as quickly as possible, upon receipt of all the relevant information.

There will be some variations where it is impractical to obtain prior approval, for example where there is an immediate ‘make safe’ obligation.

In these cases, the contractor will still be required to provide the necessary supporting information to the homeowner to enable them to seek funding approval. Payments incorporating variations will not be authorised without a Value for Money assessment.

The new value for money assessments ensure the revised scope of works still meets eligibility requirements and represents value for money.

Getting paid for the work

In most cases, payments will be made directly to the licensed contractor by the Queensland Government. Payments are made at agreed milestones set out by the licensed contractor in the building construction contract and confirmed in the Letter of Offer.

The number of payments will depend on the value of the works and should comply with the requirements set out in the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) Act 1991.

For payments to be made to the licensed contractor, the homeowner will need to submit a Milestone Claim Form to QRIDA at each milestone certifying that the works have been completed, together with invoices.

Completion requirements for final payments

As per the requirements for final payments under the Resilient Homes Fund, licensed contractors need to provide the homeowner with the relevant certification on completion of works.

Refer to completing your works for further information about the certification requirements for final payments. Before final payment is released, the Resilient Homes Fund may attend the home to undertake an inspection of completed works.

The Resilient Homes Fund will provide the homeowner with a summary of the works approved and completed through the Fund.

The licensed contractor toolbox

• Design Guidance for Flood Resilient Homes (PDF, 5.9MB)
• Industry Guidance for Flood Resilient Homes (PDF, 14.3 MB)
• Video: Program overview
• Checklist for builders (PDF, 290.5 KB)

Quoting for work

Scope of works

Eligible homeowners have had their homes assessed by a Resilient Homes Fund assessor and have been sent a Home Assessment Report.

This report details the resilience options available for that home and assessed flood levels for the property, where available at the time of preparing the report. The homeowner should have provided the licensed contractor with a copy of the report and this information should be considered when quoting.

Licensed contractors are responsible for determining if a strategy is appropriate with consideration given to the Home Assessment Report, Industry Design Guidance for Flood Resilient Homes, homeowner wishes and mobility, flood levels, available funding, house design, site conditions, and a range of other items. Licensed contractors should consider the resilient strategy and certification requirements when scoping works.

Preparing a quote

Before homeowners could apply for funding, they needed to get a quote from a licensed contractor. If you need further assistance regarding preparing a quote, please contact resilienthomes@hpw.qld.gov.au.

Works valued at over $11,000

If the total cost of works exceeds $11,000, funding can only be approved for one quote from a suitable licensed contractor. Where multiple trades are involved such as building, electrical and plumbing works, the licensed contractor will include everyone’s costs and requirements in one quote and oversee the completion of works. This is a policy requirement under the Resilient Homes Fund program to ensure works are managed in a coordinated manner and deliver a quality outcome.

Works valued at under $11,000

While a single quote incorporating all the works is the preferred option, if the works are valued less than $11,000, homeowners can provide separate quotes from suitable licensed contractors such as builders, electricians, and plumbers in their funding application.

What the quote needed to include

Quotes for the Home Raise program needed to:

• Itemise the construction costs directly related to the raising of the home.
• Detail other costs such as:
  • supervision and project management costs (itemised with hourly rates for site supervision, project management, construction management where required)
  • regulatory fees such as Home Warranty Insurance Scheme policy, Portable Long Service (if applicable)
  • council permits
  • any building approval fees.
• Include the applicable mark-up percentage to construction costs (mark-up is preferred method instead of margin).
• Confirm the new habitable floor level meets or exceeds both the assessed flood Level and 2021-2022 flood event levels.

Quotes for the Resilient Retrofit program needed to:

• Outline a scope of work that adheres to the design and material guidance in the Industry Guidance for Flood Resilient Homes (PDF, 14.3 MB)
• Itemise the construction costs (exclusive of GST) directly related to each of the selected resilience strategies listed in the Home Assessment Report, including:
  • type of works
  • quantity
  • unit of measure
  • resilient materials
  • total cost of resilient strategy (inclusive of labour and materials).
• Include the applicable mark-up percentage to construction costs (mark-up is preferred method instead of margin). Builder’s mark-up should not be charged on preliminaries.
• Detail other costs (exclusive of GST) such as:
  • supervision and project management costs (itemised with hourly rates for site supervision, project management, construction management where required)
  • regulatory fees such as Home Warranty Insurance Scheme policy, Portable Long Service (if applicable)
  • council permits
  • any building approval fees.

Value for Money process

The homeowner would have submitted the quote with a funding application via the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) portal to be assessed.

The Queensland Government reviews all quotes to ensure costs are fair and reasonable and deliver value for money.

The program may seek further information from you or the homeowner about the quote or request a revision of some elements of the quote.

For example, further information may be requested if part of the scope is complex, and the description provided does not detail the resilient materials to be used. Another example would be where works are quoted at a rate considered above standard industry rates or the offered markup or margin is assessed as not aligning with current market rates.

The quote won’t progress in the submission process until all necessary information is gathered. The best way to avoid delays is to provide as much information as you can to ensure you can book the job as fast as possible.

Entering into a contract

Once the homeowner’s funding application is conditionally approved, they will receive a Certificate of Conditional Approval and can enter into a building construction contract with their chosen licensed contractor.

The licensed contractor and homeowner are responsible for drafting the contract, which should comply with the requirements set out in the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) Act 1991. Visit the QBCC website for useful guides and templates for writing and entering into contracts for building work.

Flooding is an inevitable part of living in Queensland. The intent of the program is to minimise damage from a flood to improve recovery, however, these works will not flood proof a property.

Licensed contractors may wish to consider including a Special Condition in their building contract with the homeowner, to the effect that the homeowner acknowledges that the builder does not warrant that flood resilience works will prevent damage to the home from any future flood.

Before the works can commence, the homeowner will provide the contract to QRIDA for review. The homeowner will then be provided a Letter of Offer. At this point, the works can commence.