The Gold Coast Household Resilience Ratings Program empowers residents to strengthen their homes against hazards such as floods, bushfires, severe storms and cyclones. Through free assessments, homeowners receive personalised, practical guidance to reduce disaster risk and better prepare for extreme weather.

This is a City of Gold Coast initiative, delivered in partnership with the Resilient Building Council.

Participants can now access:

• Free online self-assessments for 1,000 homes using the new Resilience Ratings Home Assessment tool, supported by NAB and IAG as part of ongoing development and testing of the national Resilience Ratings tools – registrations now open until September 30, 2026
• Tailored Resilience Ratings Action Plans showing how homes perform against multiple hazards, and what upgrades will make the biggest impact
• Workshops and resources for homeowners, renters, landlords, trades and community groups

The Gold Coast is no stranger to extreme weather, from the 2023-24 Christmas severe weather events to Tropical Cyclone Alfred in 2025. As hazard risks increase, so does the need for proactive action.

This program empowers residents and helps provide:

• A clear picture of their home’s vulnerability
• Expert guidance on how to improve it
• Confidence to act before disaster strikes

More resilient homes mean reduced damage, faster recovery, and safer communities.

Stage 1 – Free on-site expert assessments for 40 homes.

This stage is now closed. On-site assessments were conducted during October and November 2025 by expert assessors.

Participants received their Resilience Ratings Action Plan in March 2026. A community workshop took place in May 2026 to support households through the next steps in their home resilience journey.

Stage 2 – Free supported self-assessments for 1,000 homes.

Expressions of interest for Stage 2 are now open, via rbcouncil.org/gold-coast. Homes must be freestanding and in the Gold Coast LGA to be selected for participation.

Selected households will receive clear guidance and support to complete their assessment using the Resilience Ratings Home Assessment. Support will include online resources and one-on-one assistance where needed — helping households confidently generate a customised Resilience Ratings Action Plan.

You’ll receive a customised report tailored to your home and local hazards, expert guidance on what to improve, and support to act on your results, including invitations to resilience workshops. Participants also help shape future insurance, finance and grant solutions.

Households who complete their home assessment by October 30, 2026 will go into our Mitre 10 voucher prize draw, including 1 x $1,000 Mitre 10 voucher or 2 x $500 Mitre 10 vouchers. Households will receive one entry when they complete their Resilience Ratings Home Assessment, one extra entry for completing it within 14 days and one extra entry for each person they refer, who completes their assessment.

Through an online self-assessment tool, the Resilience Ratings Home Assessment looks at how well your home can handle hazards like floods, bushfires, severe storms and cyclones.

It checks key parts of the home – such as the roof, walls, windows, doors, floors, and essential services – as well as things around the property like sheds, fences and trees. The goal is to identify areas that are vulnerable and recommend practical, often low-cost actions that will make the biggest difference to your safety and resilience.

The Resilience Ratings Scheme has been developed by the independent, not-for-profit Resilient Building Council (RBC). RBC’s Expert Panel in partnership with James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station and University of Wollongong Sustainable Buildings Research Centre developed the Ratings Scheme based on decades of research, testing, retrofitting programs and co-design with households and communities.

The Resilience Ratings are designed to provide practical, trusted guidance to help households reduce risk from floods, bushfires, severe storms and cyclones. The Resilience Ratings Scheme has been developed through funding from the National Emergency Management Agency, NSW RA, QRA, NAB and IAG. The Gold Coast Household Resilience Ratings Program is funded by the City of Gold Coast. The Resilience Ratings Home Assessment tool being trialled in the Gold Coast has been funded by NAB and IAG.

For bushfire yes. For flood and storm – coming soon, you’re helping make it happen!

This project expands the existing Bushfire Resilience Ratings Home Assessment tool to flood and storm risks. Half of Australia’s insurance market already recognises Bushfire Resilience Ratings with premium benefits.

This trial provides the evidence base required to expand insurance pricing benefits to other hazards. By participating in this trial, you are contributing to insurance and finance incentives for yourself and all Australians.

Every home is different. Recommendations will depend on your home’s location, construction, and condition – and may range from small changes to more significant retrofits.

Common higher-impact, larger upgrades may include:

• Strengthening the roof structure and connections
• Repairing or replacing worn out roofing
• Upgrading or reinforcing garage doors 
• Elevating electrics and appliances
• Installing screens and shutters
• Wet-proofing ground floors with resilient materials

Some of these actions can be planned over time or included during future renovations.

Yes. Many effective resilience actions are low-cost and practical, especially when done as part of regular maintenance and repairs, or part of a planned renovation:

Examples from Resilience Ratings Action Plans include:

Bushfire:

• Seal gaps around doors, windows and walls
• Install metal mesh on vents and weepholes
• Install gutter guard
• Maintain a non-combustible pathway around the home

Flood:

• Install two-way flaps in external doors to balance water pressures
• Elevate services with platforms or wall brackets
• Install removeable access panels in cavity walls
• Open up the subfloor space or install large vents to enable water to escape

Storm and Cyclone:

• Install window locks or storm bolts
• Replace worn out seals around doors and windows
• Replace worn out or rusted roof fixings
• Prune trees to reduce water entry into the roof and the risk of flying debris

By taking part, you can:

• Better understand your home’s current level of resilience
• Know what to do to and what will make the most difference
• Help co-design resilience tools, incentives and solutions for all Australians
• Improve peace of mind and safety
• Strengthen your community’s ability to prepare and recover

You’re not just making your own home safer – you’re contributing a program that helps develop better insurance, mortgage and retrofit programs for all Australians.

rbcouncil.org/gold-coast | projects@rbcouncil.org

Resilience Ratings measure the resilience of individual buildings to local flood, bushfire and storm risks.

This measurement via a rating scale of 1-5, provides a nationally consistent, common language that enables banks and insurers to price and reward resilience.

Banks and insurers are involved in the Ratings Scheme because it provides them with trusted, expert verification that risk has been reduced, and by how much. This gives banks and insurers the confidence to offer insurance coverage and finance in high-risk areas.

Reducing risk is a win for everyone – households, communities, governments, banks, insurers, investors and the broader economy.

Yes. The program is fully funded for up to 1,000 homes in the Gold Coast.

This is a City of Gold Coast initiative, delivered in partnership with the Resilient Building Council. NAB and IAG have sponsored the Resilience Ratings Home Assessment tool that is being trialled in this program.

RBC does not share your personal information, assessment data or Resilience Ratings unless you give express permission. Any case study data is de-identified and securely handled.

To help us validate your Home Assessment and provide the most accurate Resilience Rating possible, you’ll be asked to upload a small number of required photos.

Your photos are used only to validate your Home Assessment and improve the accuracy of your Resilience Rating. They won’t be shared publicly without your permission.

Read our Privacy Policy: rbcouncil.org/privacy-policy for more information about how we store and protect your information.

Yes. Renters can complete a self-assessment, attend workshops, undertake maintenance actions, report damage and share assessment findings with the building owner.

There are many actions in the Resilience Ratings Home Assessment Action Plan that renters can undertake themselves such as:

• install temporary window screens or boards
• move combustible materials away from the walls, windows, decks and underneath the home
• move or secure items in the yard that could impact the home during floods, bushfires and storms
• sealing gaps with silicone sealant to prevent embers, water and wind entry
• maintaining vegetation and clearing up debris.

Always follow the advice of emergency services.

Early evacuation to places well outside warning areas is the safest option.

Should early evacuation fail, a resilient property and well-prepared people, have an improved chance of survival.

You can register your interest in participating in Phase 2 via the form on this page, to complete a free Resilience Ratings Home Assessment.

Registrations are open until 30 September 2026, or when 1,000 households have completed home assessments, whichever occurs first. After registering, eligible households will be invited to participate in stages. Once invited, we encourage you to complete your Home Assessments within 14 days.

Each completed Home Assessment receives one entry into the Mitre 10 voucher prize draw, which includes one $1,000 voucher and two $500 vouchers.

You can earn additional entries by:

• Completing your Home Assessment within 14 days of receiving your invitation.
• Referring eligible households. You’ll receive one additional entry for each referred household that completes a Home Assessment.

Prize Draw Terms and Conditions: The prize draw is conducted by Resilient Building Council Ltd (RBC). The City of Gold Coast supports the Gold Coast Household Resilience Ratings Program but is not the promoter or sponsor of the prize draw. Eligible participants who complete a Resilience Rating Home Assessment by 30 October 2026, or within 14 days of receiving their invitation link (whichever applies under the program), will automatically receive one entry into the draw. Two (2) winners will each receive a $500 Mitre 10 gift voucher and one (1) winner will receive a $1,000 Mitre 10 gift voucher. Participants will receive one additional entry if they complete their assessment within 14 days of receiving their invitation, and one additional entry for each eligible household they refer that completes an assessment and identifies them as the referrer. Winners will be selected at random after the program closes, contacted using the details provided during registration, and prizes are not transferable or redeemable for cash.

Email: support@rbcouncil.org
Or speak with us at a local event.