Queensland’s catastrophic weather has caused more than $1.4 billion in home insurance claims since October, with homebuyers feeling the pressure of their rising costs.
Despite living on acreage property, homeowner Jo Southon has been living in her shed for the better part of four years.
After buying her Moreton Bay home in Ocean View in 2014, a brutal hailstorm three years later damaged her house to the point where it slowly became unliveable.
Jo Southon is one of many Queenslanders whose home was made unliveable thanks to a catastrophic weather event. Picture: Lachie Millard
“The house fell apart,” Ms Southon said. “The floors fell through, the roof caved in … I had to make my kids move out, because it was too dangerous for them.”
“I lost everything I owned. I had to throw it all out … I didn’t think I was going to survive it.”
The Insurance Council of Australia reported more than $1.41 billion worth of claims from the start of the latest wet season, thanks to two large-scale storm events impacting homes across Queensland.
Insurers have reported 105,000 claims in the past three months as a result of the two storms.
The spring storms in late October that hit South-East Queensland caused 35,000 claims, amounting to $601 million incurred.
105,000 claims were made since October 2025 thanks to storms across Queensland, costing $1.41 billion in claims. Credit: Daniel Wilson/Facebook
Meanwhile, the late November storms and hail that hit all of Queensland, particularly the north side, saw a whopping 70,200 claims reaching $814m in costs.
A spokesperson from the Council said premiums across the country had risen due to spiking repair costs, development in high-risk areas, inflation and growing home values.
“Home insurance is there to protect your most valuable asset should the unexpected happen,” they said. “When taking out home and contents insurance, policyholders are encouraged to shop around to find the right policy that suits their needs … for your home and the risks it’s exposed to.”
Home insurance expenses are rising thanks to factors such as increasing repair prices and the growing value of homes. Picture: Handout/Queensland’s Office of the Premier/AFP
It is understood Ms Southon was unable to afford the repairs for her home on her own, and engaged in a lengthy legal dispute with her insurance company for the funds.
While she eventually received a settlement in 2024, the home had already been deemed uninhabitable, and needed to be demolished and rebuilt entirely.
“I’ve got four dogs, I have a goose, ducks, horses,” she said. “I couldn’t just leave the property and go somewhere, so the only option I had was to make the shed liveable for me, and move into the shed. And that’s where I still live now, in the shed.”
Ms Southon’s daughters Jazmine and Taylah were unable to stay in the old house. It took a long legal battle with the family’s old insurers before they could afford a new build. Picture: Lachie Millard
Ms Southon said the seven-year ordeal with her house had made her jaded, and she struggled to imagine who she could trust to build her home after the long and gruelling experience.
But during a short holiday to the Gold Coast, she crossed paths with employees of building company G.J. Gardner Homes at a sales conference.
Before too long, she was consulting with the company’s Brisbane Outer North franchise, and its co-owner Chris McNeil.
“Not only did they win my trust, but they gave me hope to keep going,” Ms Southon said. “Other builders said they could sort it out … and I really felt they were looking at me with dollar signs.”
A home design from G.J. Gardner Homes, which stepped in to help build Ms Southon a new home on the property that could withstand the area’s weather.
Ms Southon said she was relieved to work with builders transparent about their process, who showed her how they worked and listened to what she wanted in a new home build.
“My whole life, I’d always dreamt of living on acreage,” she said. “The house was perfect for me and my girls.”
“It’s a very special piece of land, and it deserves what it’s getting … it deserves the house that we’re building.”
Her new house is now under construction, set to be finished in the first quarter of 2026 – when Ms Southon will be able to leave her shed and return to a real home.
English (US) · 