Flooding or other disaster related financial support for property owners and tenants

The General Financial Assistance Program Regarding Disasters is designed to provide last resort assistance to property owners and tenants affected by a disaster not covered by the usual insurance policies in Québec. It does not replace individuals’ insurance contracts. It is, therefore, very important to contact your insurer before you apply for financial assistance and compensation.

The types of disasters indicated below are eligible to the program:

• flooding caused by torrential rains, ice jams or rapid snowmelt causing watercourses to overflow;
  • For an event to be considered a flood, a watercourse must overflow to the point where the water reaches a residential property. If water enters the home due to an infiltration or a sewer backup subsequent to flooding, the disaster will be deemed eligible to the program.
• shoreline erosion;
• submersion;
• landslide;
• earthquake.

Eligibility requirements

Property owners and tenants of a principal residence can apply for financial support and compensation.

To be eligible, you must be the owner or tenant of the principal residence and live there. You are also eligible if you are the owner-occupant of a building owned by your enterprise (e.g., agricultural business).

Supporting documents are required to confirm your identity and eligibility. The disaster, moreover, must be included on the list of eligible disasters (French only).

If you own an enterprise or business or a rental building that you do not live in, or if you own a rental building of two units or more, you must apply under the Businesses and the owners or rental buildings (French only) section.

In the event of a disaster, numerous expenses are eligible for financial support and compensation (indemnities). These include expenses associated with temporary preventive measures, eligible movable property and emergency work.

• Financial support consists of a monetary amount granted to compensate for measures taken or damages suffered subsequent to a disaster, and is contingent on the submission of invoices showing an adequate use of the support received.
• An indemnity consists of a monetary amount granted to compensate for measures taken or damages suffered subsequent to a disaster; it is not contingent on the submission of invoices. However, you must preserve the invoices, in the event that audits are conducted.

Please refer to the sections on eligible expenses in the event of flooding or other disasters and sums granted under the General Financial Assistance Program.

If you have been affected by a flood, be sure you have identified yourself as a disaster victim with your municipality and contacted your insurer before applying for financial support and compensation. If you have flood coverage, it may cover your damages. If your flood coverage is insufficient or if you are not protected for this eventuality, you may receive financial support and compensation.

Also make sure you have followed the instructions concerning What to do after a flood.

If you have been affected by a disaster other than a flood, be sure you have identified yourself as a disaster victim with your municipality and contacted your insurer before applying for financial support and compensation. If you have disaster coverage, you are not eligible for the financial assistance program.

To determine the deadline for filing your application for financial support and compensation, use this tool for information on the disaster in question (French only). If you are unable to file your application by the deadline, you must explain in writing to the Ministère de la Sécurité publique why you were unable to act sooner.

For fast service, apply for financial support and compensation online.

Once you have submitted your application, you will access your file online. You can then :

• learn about the sums of indemnities that can be granted for certain losses by filling in the lists;
• submit all required documents and supporting documents;
• contact the agent in charge of your claim.

*We recommend that you use the Chrome, Edge or Safari web browser for our online service. Attachments must be saved as PDF, TXT, RTF, PNG, JPEG, DOCX, DOC, or ODT documents (maximum 20 MB).

Apply online

To apply for financial support and compensation, you must:

• complete and sign the necessary forms according to your situation;
• provide copies of the required documents;
• forward the signed forms and copies of required documents to the Direction générale du rétablissement.

Claim form - Individual owner (PDF 463 Kb)
The owners of a principal residence must fill out this form to request financial support and compensation.

Claim form - Individual tenant (PDF 469 Kb)
The tenants of a principal residence must fill out this form to request financial support and compensation.

Swearing-in – Individuals (PDF 225 Kb)
Property owners and tenants of a principal residence who did not have homeowner's insurance at the time of the loss must complete this form.

Authorization, power of attorney or revocation (PDF 175 Kb)
People who wish to give an authorization or power of attorney to a designated person to act on their behalf must complete this form.

Authorization to Communicate Information or Power of Attorney (Revenu Québec) (MR-69)
People who wish to give an authorization or power of attorney to a designated person so that the latter may access confidential information and documents held by Revenu Québec regarding them or allow said person to act on their behalf must read this page. 

Create a self-signed digital ID
If you need to create a digital signature for your documents in PDF format, consult this page.

Once the Ministère de la Sécurité publique receives your claim form, the person in charge of your file will contact you to obtain more details of the damage.

Watch this video on the financial assistance program for a recap of the steps to take in the event of flooding.