Makesafe Reports
DJ Edwards Solar and Electrical; providing Makesafe Reports across Brisbane, Gold Coast, Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast
Makesafe Reports Brisbane | DJ Edwards Solar & Electrical
The call comes in after the storm has passed. A tree branch through the roof. Water pooling in the garage. A meter box that took a direct hit from flying debris. The house looks okay from the outside but something feels wrong with the power. Maybe it's flickering. Maybe it went off during the storm and came back on but doesn't feel right. Maybe it's completely out and nobody knows why.
The instinct in that moment is to call the insurance company. And that's the right call. But the next call needs to be to a licensed electrician, because before your insurer will authorise a single dollar of repair work, they need a licensed electrician's written assessment confirming the property is electrically safe. That document is a makesafe report, and without it, your claim doesn't move forward.
DJ Edwards provides makesafe reports across Brisbane and the Gold Coast following storm, flood, fire, and impact damage events. We attend quickly, inspect thoroughly, and produce documentation that insurers accept and that actually reflects the real condition of your property.
What a Makesafe Report Actually Is
A makesafe report is a formal written assessment produced by a licensed electrician that documents the condition of a property's electrical installation following a damage event. It identifies any electrical hazards present, describes the work carried out to make those hazards safe, and certifies the property as either safe to occupy or outlines what needs to happen before it can be declared safe.
The term "makesafe" refers to the immediate work carried out to eliminate active hazards before full repairs can begin. This might mean isolating a damaged circuit, disconnecting a water-affected meter box from the supply, removing a live cable that storm damage has exposed, or shutting down a solar system that's been physically damaged and is operating unsafely.
The report documents both the hazards found and the makesafe work completed. This is what your insurer needs to process the electrical component of your claim and authorise repair quotes from building contractors.
Without this document, most Brisbane insurers will not release funds for building repairs that involve any electrical work, and they won't allow trades back into a water-affected property until electrical safety has been confirmed by a licensed electrician in writing.
When You Need a Makesafe Report
Queensland's storm season produces a steady stream of properties needing electrical makesafe assessments. Hail damage to solar panels, lightning strikes to meter boxes, water ingress through damaged roofs into ceiling cavities where wiring runs, and surge damage to internal circuits all require assessment before repairs can safely proceed. If a storm has caused physical damage to your property, assume the electrical system needs checking before you call a builder.
Storm damage
Water and electricity are an immediately dangerous combination. A property that has taken on water, whether from flooding, a burst pipe, or storm-related inundation, cannot be safely reoccupied until every electrical circuit that may have been affected has been inspected and tested by a licensed electrician. This is not optional and it's not bureaucratic box-ticking. Water sitting in a wall cavity around live wiring, or saturating insulation on cables that are still energised, creates conditions for electrocution and fire that aren't always visible from the surface.
Flood and water inundation
A property that has experienced a fire, even a contained one in a single room, needs electrical assessment before power is restored. Heat damages cable insulation, causes connections to fail, and can compromise circuit protection devices in ways that aren't visible without proper testing. Restoring power to a fire-affected property without this assessment creates the conditions for a second electrical incident.
Fire damage
A car through a fence that clips external wiring, a falling tree branch that brings down a service line, or construction equipment that damages underground cables all require assessment before the affected circuits are restored. These incidents are more common in Brisbane than most people expect and the insurance process is the same as for storm damage.
Vehicle or impact damage
Landlords sometimes call us when a tenant has vacated and there are signs of damage that may affect the electrical installation. A makesafe assessment establishes the baseline condition of the property before repair work is quoted and gives the landlord documentation for any insurance or bond claim.
Tenant vacating properties with suspected damage
What DJ Edwards Does During a Makesafe Inspection
What DJ Edwards Does During a Makesafe Inspection
The inspection process is systematic and covers every part of the electrical installation that could have been affected by the damage event.
We start at the point of supply. The meter box, main switch, and incoming supply cables are inspected for physical damage, water ingress, and signs of surge or heat damage. If the meter box has been directly affected, we coordinate with Energex for supply isolation before proceeding. This is Level 2 licensed electrical work and not all electricians can legally carry it out. DJ Edwards holds the relevant Queensland accreditation.
From the meter box we work through the main switchboard, checking every circuit breaker and safety switch for correct operation and physical damage. We test insulation resistance on circuits that may have been water-affected, which tells us whether any cable insulation has been compromised. Compromised insulation on an energised cable is one of the most serious hazards in a flood-affected property and it cannot be identified by visual inspection alone.
We check every area of the property that the damage event has touched. Ceiling cavities where water has entered. Wall cavities near impact points. Outdoor circuits and fittings. Solar systems and inverters if the property has them. Any circuit that may have been exposed to water, heat, or physical damage gets tested, not just visually inspected.
Where we find active hazards, we carry out the makesafe work immediately. Isolating affected circuits, disconnecting damaged equipment, and securing any exposed live components. The property isn't handed back until every identified hazard has been addressed or clearly documented as requiring follow-up repair work before that section of the installation can be re-energised.
The Report Your Insurer Actually Needs
Not all makesafe reports are created equal, and Brisbane homeowners sometimes find out the hard way that a report produced by an unlicensed or underqualified person gets rejected by their insurer, adding days or weeks to their claim.
A makesafe report accepted by Australian insurers needs to be produced by a licensed electrical contractor, reference the specific hazards found and the work carried out to address them, and include the licence details of the electrician who carried out the inspection and makesafe work.
DJ Edwards produces reports in a format that major Australian insurers accept without querying. We've done enough of these across Brisbane to know exactly what the documentation needs to include and how to present it clearly. For homeowners already dealing with the stress of storm or flood damage, having the report done right the first time matters.
You can read more about your rights and obligations during the insurance claims process at the Insurance Council of Australia's consumer resources, which provides free advice for policyholders who are having difficulty with an insurance claim.
For solar-specific storm damage, our solar panel maintenance and storm damage service covers the additional assessment that solar systems require following a weather event.
Makesafe Reports Across Brisbane and Southeast Queensland
DJ Edwards attends makesafe inspections across all Brisbane suburbs, the Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, and Moreton Bay. After major storm events we prioritise attendance based on safety risk, with properties where power is live but circuits have been water-affected getting first priority.
If your property has taken damage and you're not sure whether you need a makesafe report, the answer is almost certainly yes. Call DJ Edwards on 0400 571 610 and describe what's happened. We'll tell you honestly what you need and how quickly we can attend.
