Heavy rain of August 2026 / Selling a flooded house

A house flooded by heavy rain: repair it or sell it.

A flooded house can be sold. You must tell the buyer about the flooding. Whether to repair or sell depends on whether water rose above or below the floor, and on damage to the frame. This page is for owners in Takaoka, Himi, Oyabe and Imizu, where the Disaster Relief Act was applied after the heavy rain from August 27, 2026. It covers the photos to take before clearing out, applying to the city, support schemes by name, and what to tell a buyer.

A flooded house can be sold. You must tell the buyer about the flooding. Whether to repair or sell depends on whether water rose above or below the floor, and on damage to the frame.
Take photos before clearing out, and apply for a disaster damage certificate at the city office. Most support depends on its category.
Even if you sell with a promise of no liability, you stay liable for flooding you knew about and did not disclose (Civil Code Article 572).
We appraise before the mud is cleared and with contents inside. We subtract repair costs from the price, and a house with a damaged frame may get no value.

Repair or sell: the fork is below the floor, above the floor, and the frame

Sort by how high the water came and how damaged the frame is

Think of a flooded house's damage in two steps. How far did the water come: below the floor, or above it? And did the water damage the frame, such as posts and sills?

Below the floor: dry it out firstPump out the water and mud under the floor, then dry and disinfect. The rooms stayed dry, so the repair work is smaller than for flooding above the floor.

Above the floor: repair floors and wall interiorsThe floor is pulled up, the base is dried, and new flooring is laid. Wallpaper, insulation inside the walls and fittings may be replaced. If the kitchen, bath, toilet or water heater went under water, they are repaired too. Costs vary a great deal with the damage, so we give them after seeing the site.

The frame: what decides if it can be repairedIf posts, beams and sills stay wet and do not dry, they rot from the base. If the frame is sound, the house can be repaired. If rot is widespread, the repair cost can be about the same as rebuilding.

If you will keep living in the house, repair comes first. If nobody plans to live there, or it is a parent's house far from you, it is not too late to learn what it would sell for as it is before you decide. We put the repair quote next to the as-is purchase price and compare them.

But if the house stays wet, the damage spreads. Even before you decide, go ahead with pumping out water and drying, and with closing the places where rain gets in. We are a builder and also hold a real estate licence, so we can give you a repair quote and a purchase price at the same time.

Photos before clearing out, and the disaster damage certificate

Take photos before you start clearing out. They can be used as they are for the disaster damage certificate (a document in which the municipality certifies the degree of damage to your house), for an insurance claim, and for a repair quote.

The whole outside of the house
The waterline on the walls, showing how high the water came
Each damaged room, one by one

Each city has its own rules for photos. Himi City asks you to hold a ruler or tape measure to show the water depth, and to take both wide and close-up shots. Imizu City asks for photos of the whole house from four directions and photos of the damaged places. In both cities, the application needs printed photos.

When damage is small, such as water below the floor, there is a self-assessment method that decides from photos alone. Himi City treats flooding below the floor in principle as "short of quasi-half-destroyed (partial damage)" and checks from photos without a site inspection. Imizu City also issues the certificate from photos, with no inspector visit, if you agree with the "partial damage" finding. If you do not agree, ask at the counter.

Your photos are also useful when you sell. A record of the water height and the state before repair helps with the appraisal (working out what we can pay for the house), and serves as a record when you tell the buyer.

Safety rules such as not touching electrical appliances until the breaker is off, and not using appliances that have been under water, as well as emergency measures such as laying blue tarps, are in repair work for flood and heavy-rain damage.

Insurance and public support: scheme names and counters only

According to the Cabinet Office, on August 27, 2026, Toyama Prefecture decided to apply the Disaster Relief Act (a law under which the prefecture leads in helping people hit by a major disaster) to four cities: Takaoka, Himi, Oyabe and Imizu. In Ishikawa Prefecture, it applies to Hakui City and the towns of Shika, Hodatsushimizu and Nakanoto.

In its "August 2026 Record Heavy Rain Disaster Victims Support Package", Toyama Prefecture lists the housing-related schemes below. Whether you qualify mostly depends on the disaster damage certificate category.

Emergency house repair: "urgent repairs" such as laying blue tarps, and repairs to parts essential for daily life. For major half-destroyed, medium half-destroyed, half-destroyed and quasi-half-destroyed houses
Disaster Victims Livelihood Recovery Support Payment: for completely destroyed, major half-destroyed, medium half-destroyed and half-destroyed houses, and for flooding above the floor short of half-destroyed
Governor's condolence payment: for households with completely destroyed or half-destroyed houses, or flooding above the floor
Disaster-hit residential land recovery support (land where the ground or retaining walls collapsed), and residential-land sediment removal support (the cost of removing sediment piled on the land)
Disaster Relief Loan and Livelihood Welfare Fund Loan (loan schemes)
Prefectural tax reductions and exemptions, and extended filing and payment deadlines

Takaoka City has created the "Takaoka City Flood Barrier Installation Subsidy for Internal Flooding Measures" for owners and users of homes and other buildings that flooded above or below the floor in the rain of August 27 and 28. Applications open on October 1, and the counter is the Sewerage Works Section.

This page gives no amounts. Amounts and conditions differ by scheme and by disaster. Please check the Toyama Prefecture support package and your city's website.

If your fire insurance or mutual-aid policy covers flood damage, it may pay for repairs. The insurer or mutual-aid body decides whether it pays. Be careful of companies that approach you saying "insurance will fix it for free" (solicitations that increase after a disaster).

When you sell a flooded house, tell the buyer about the flooding

Tell the buyer about the flooding. If you sell without telling them, you can be held responsible later. There are two legal reasons.

One is the seller's responsibility. The Civil Code says that if the delivered house does not match the contract, the buyer can ask for repairs and more (Article 562). This is called liability for non-conformity with the contract (the seller's duty to fix defects found after handover). The buyer must notify the seller within one year of learning of the defect. But if the seller knew of the defect at handover, the one-year limit does not apply (Article 566).

Civil Code Article 572 also says this: "Even if a special agreement excludes warranty liability, the seller cannot be released from liability for facts the seller knew and did not disclose (omitted)." In other words, even if you sell with a promise of no liability for later defects, you remain liable for flooding you knew about and kept quiet about.

The other is a rule for real estate companies. When you sell through a brokerage (a real estate company finds the buyer and sells for you), Article 35 of the Real Estate Brokerage Act requires the company to have a licensed real estate transaction agent (a person with the national qualification for property deals) explain key matters in writing before the contract is made. If the house is shown on the municipal flood hazard map (a map of areas at risk of flooding), that location is one of the matters to explain (Enforcement Regulations, Article 16-4-3). This is separate from whether the house flooded in the past.

Article 47 of the same law forbids a real estate company from "intentionally failing to tell a fact, or telling an untrue fact" about matters that greatly affect the buyer's decision. In other words, a real estate company must not stay silent about important matters it knows, or tell lies. If the seller discloses the flooding, the company can also explain correctly.

What to tell: when it happened (August 2026), how high the water came (below or above the floor, and how many cm above the floor), what you repaired and what you did not, and the disaster damage certificate category. Write it on paper and hand it over to avoid misunderstandings.

If you are unsure how much to disclose, or what it means in your case, ask a lawyer. The Toyama support package lists a free legal consultation by the Toyama Bar Association. We do not give legal judgments on individual cases.

Our purchase: before the mud is cleared, with the contents inside

Hokuriku Homes (Nakamura Komuten Co., Ltd.) buys flooded houses as they are, contents included. We visit to appraise even before the mud is cleared and before you clear out. You do not need to carry out the wet belongings first.

We are honest about how the price is set. We repair the house we buy and hand it to the next resident, so the cost of repairing floors, walls and plumbing is subtracted from the purchase price. The price is lower than for a similar house that never flooded.

On site, we check four places: the roof structure, the base of the posts, the sills and foundation stones, and how dry the space under the floor is. If the frame is sound, we price the house as a building. A house whose frame is damaged, for example with widespread rot in the sills or the base of the posts, may get no value. If so, we will tell you, and we can also give a demolition quote.

Brokerage fee (the fee paid to a real estate company): ¥0
The appraisal is free, with no charge if you decline
Belongings and the Buddhist altar can stay
Handover in as little as 2 weeks after the on-site survey

How to tell damage levels is in How to tell whether a damaged house can be repaired, and our purchase terms are in We buy vacant houses and kominka in Toyama. After the appraisal, we will not chase you.

If you repair and live there, in this order

Check safetyDo not touch electrical appliances until the breaker is off. Wear long sleeves, boots and gloves when clearing out.

Take photosOutside, water height, each room. Take photos before clearing out.

Apply for a disaster certificateGo to the city office counter. It is the basis for support and insurance procedures.

Check which schemes you can useThe municipal counter decides whether you qualify for emergency repair and other support.

Get quotesAsk for itemised quotes and compare them. You may refuse any company that rushes you to sign.

Emergency measures, then full repairFirst close the places where rain gets in, dry the house, then repair floors and walls.

In an old house, the foundation and the base of the posts become visible when the floor is pulled up. If you also want to prepare for earthquakes, that is the easiest time to check. See seismic reinforcement for kominka, and flood recovery work for how the work proceeds.

City counters

The counter names were checked on each city's website on October 2, 2026. For opening hours and phone numbers, please see the city's website.

TakaokaDisaster Victims Livelihood Recovery Support Payment: Social Welfare Section (Shakai Fukushika). Flood barrier subsidy: Sewerage Works Section (Gesuido Komuka).
We buy vacant houses and kominka in Takaoka →

HimiDisaster damage certificate: Tax Section (Zeimuka) counter. Applications are accepted until November 30, 2026.
We buy vacant houses and kominka in Himi →

OyabePlease check with the city office for the disaster damage certificate and support counters.
We buy vacant houses and kominka in Oyabe →

ImizuDisaster damage certificate: Tax Section (Kazeika), 2nd floor of the main city hall.
We buy vacant houses and kominka in Imizu →

FAQ

Can a house flooded in the August 2026 heavy rain be sold?＋−

Yes, you can. You must tell the buyer about the flooding. Whether to repair or sell depends on whether water came above or below the floor, and on the condition of the frame. We visit to appraise before the mud is cleared out and while belongings are still inside. We subtract the cost of repairing floors, walls and plumbing from the purchase price, so the price is lower than for a house that never flooded. A house with a damaged frame may get no value at all. If so, we will say so honestly.

Do I have to tell the buyer if water only came under the floor?＋−

Tell the buyer about any flooding you know of, even below the floor. Under Civil Code Article 572, even if you sell with a promise of no liability for later defects, you are still liable for facts you knew and did not disclose. Write down when it happened, how high the water came, what you repaired, and the category on the disaster damage certificate, and hand it over. That avoids misunderstandings. For your own case, please ask a lawyer.

Can you appraise the house with mud and wet belongings still inside?＋−

Yes. We come before the mud is cleared and before clearing out, with belongings still inside. The appraisal is free, and there is no charge if you decline. Before you start cleaning, take photos of the outside, the marks on the walls showing the water height, and each room. You can use them for the disaster damage certificate and for the appraisal.

Is it better to repair and then sell, or sell as it is?＋−

You cannot decide without putting the repair quote next to the as-is purchase price. If you will keep living there, repair comes first. If nobody plans to live there, learn the as-is price before you repair. Then you can see whether the repair cost is worth it compared with the sale price. We are a builder and also hold a real estate licence, so we can give you both figures.

Should I apply for the certificate and support before selling?＋−

The disaster damage certificate is the basis for support, insurance and tax relief. Whether or not you sell, take photos before clearing out and apply at the city office. The city office decides whether you qualify for emergency house repair or the Disaster Victims Livelihood Recovery Support Payment, based on the certificate category and other factors. If you plan to sell, tell the office and check with them.