Make a claim
Popular Searches

We've been helping Australians for 100 years

Learn more

Flood cover for business

Any business can be impacted by damage to property, contents, or stock resulting from flood and storm surge.

Looking for information about flood cover for your home?

Here’s what we mean by flood and storm surge

Flood

Flood is the covering of normally dry land by water that has escaped or been released from the normal confines of a lake, river, creek or another natural watercourse (even if they have been modified) or a reservoir, canal or dam.

Flood can occur when a long period of rain causes rivers, creeks, or dams to overflow. This can affect large inland areas and spread over hundreds of kilometres. Although you may not have had rain in your area, a river can still break its banks because of heavy rain upstream.

Storm surge

Storm surge is an increase in sea level that usually occurs because of an intense storm or cyclone and associated waves. This doesn’t include sea actions caused by normal tidal movements like high tides or king tides.

Need more info?

Product Disclosure Statement and Policy Booklets

Find a policy booklet

What’s included for flood and storm surge cover?

Cover for damage and loss of income from flood and storm surge

For business insurance policies, cover for flood and storm surge is automatically included when you choose one of the following options1.

  • Section 1 Property covers damage to your business buildings, contents, or stock as a result of flood or storm surge.
  • Section 1 Property and Section 2 Business Interruption combined cover the damage outlined above, as well as cover for loss of profits due to a flood or storm surge event.

Be sure to read the Product Disclosure Statements (PDS) for full details of inclusions, exclusions and optional extras.

Cover for portable property and commercial vehicles from flood and storm surge

Flood and storm surge cover is automatically included when you choose Section 9 Portable Property and Section 12 Commercial Motor Vehicles for your business insurance policy.

  • Select Section 9 Portable Property to cover your portable business property. 
  • Select Comprehensive Part A - Damage to or theft of Your Vehicle or Commercial Caravan in Section 12 Commercial Motor Vehicles to cover your commercial motor vehicles.

Note that flood and storm surge cover is not included in Fire, theft & Third Party (Part A or Part B).

Be sure to read the Product Disclosure Statements (PDS) for full details of inclusions, exclusions and optional extras.

Your premium

How do we calculate your premium?

Your premium is affected by a number of factors, including the type and level of cover you choose, the construction of your business buildings, and the risk of damage from flood or storm surge.

To work out your risk, we use data from sources like the National Flood Insurance Database, hydrology and terrain mapping, council mapping, and historical claims information.

We check and update our data throughout the year to make sure we use the latest information. That means your risk level may change from year to year. 

FAQs

Have a question? We can help

My business property wasn’t considered a flood risk in the past. Why is it now?

We regularly reassess the risk at your business property using the latest available data. This includes local or state government flood studies, our own data, and other expert reports. That means the risk of flood and storm surge can increase or decrease as information changes.

My business property is a flood risk, but I can’t afford the premium. What are my options?

You can contact us to ask about financial assistance options available to you.

There are a few things we can check to try and adjust your cover and premium. We can confirm the information you’ve given us, and check whether your current cover is still correct and relevant. We can also review other policy details and discuss available benefits to ensure you’re covered.

Why does damage from flood and storm surge cost so much to repair?

Flood and storm surge events can often create a lot of damage to your business contents and stock, or the buildings where you conduct your business. Even the damage from a few centimetres of water may cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair.

What if I don’t agree my business property is at risk?

You may be able to get information about your business property’s risk of flood and storm surge from your local council or water authority.

If you don’t agree with our decision that your business property is at risk of flood or storm surge, you can call us on 132 818.

Things you should know

  1. Flood cover is not available for Business Insurance policies that were last renewed prior to 23 August 2025, or for policies that were first purchased prior to 23 August 2025 and not yet renewed. Flood cover will become available for those policies when they are next renewed.

Be sure to read the Product Disclosure Statements (PDS) for full details of inclusions, exclusions and optional extras.