An 85-year-old Taree woman paying for a motel out of her pension after the 2025 floods won around $90,000 from her insurer, and Legal Aid NSW says others still battling claims could be entitled to more.
Legal Aid NSW is reminding residents on the NSW east coast that free legal help is available following the 2025 floods.
Since May 2025, it has provided more than 1,700 services in the region.
“Many people are only really emerging from the crisis stage of the disaster now,” said Legal Aid NSW senior outreach solicitor, disaster, Dominique Brown.
“They’re having insurance claims rejected or dealing with housing or tenancy issues despite more than a year having passed since the floods.”
Ms Brown said many people were only now ready to seek legal advice, 12 to 18 months after the floods.
The Taree resident, given the pseudonym Natasha to protect her identity, had her property extensively damaged during the 2025 Mid North Coast floods.
Her insurer denied her claim, arguing floodwater caused the damage and flood was excluded from her policy.
When she contacted Legal Aid NSW, she was living in a motel she was paying for from her aged pension and was trying to organise repairs herself.
She told her solicitor a lot of the damage happened before the flood, during a storm, which was covered by her policy.
Legal Aid NSW successfully argued the insurer was liable to cover storm damage to her home and contents.
In October 2025, the matter settled for around $90,000, with the insurer agreeing to cover significant storm damage to the property and temporary accommodation allowances.
Ms Brown said it was essential people got legal advice if their insurer denied a claim, because they might still be eligible for compensation.
“Even if people have had a claim approved or denied, we encourage them to seek a review as they could be entitled to more,” Ms Brown said.
Locals are also encouraged to seek advice about housing and tenancy, financial hardship, workplace rights, government disaster grants, and other legal problems.
Legal Aid NSW can help people affected by disaster in MidCoast, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Kempsey Shire, Nambucca Valley, Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, and Clarence Valley, as well as Armidale and Walcha.
People affected by the east coast floods can get free legal help by calling 1800 801 529, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
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