Penthouse pool floods Gold Coast high-rise racking up damage bill into the ‘hundreds of thousands’

Homeowners are facing a hefty damage bill after a rooftop pool flooded more than six floors of a Gold Coast high-rise leaving some apartments “unlivable”. SEE THE PHOTOS

HOMEOWNERS have been left with a hefty damage bill after a leaking rooftop pool flooded a Surfers Paradise high-rise, leaving some apartments “unlivable”.

The Golden Gate Resort on Surfers Paradise Boulevard looked more like a water park on Wednesday afternoon after a pipe on one of the penthouse apartment pools began leaking through the apartments below.

Apartments in the Golden Gate Resort at Surfers Paradise were flooded after a pool on the rooftop leaked.

It didn’t take long for the water to soak through ceilings, carpets and furniture on the eastern side of the 33-storey building.

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A staff member, who chose not to be named, said the deluge was swift, with residents left with water “up to their knees” in some areas.

The Golden Gate Resort has been part of the Surfers Paradise skyline for 40 years and includes four private rooftop pools and 183 apartments. Photo: Booking.com

“At this point in time there’s about six (apartments) that have been affected to the point that they’re probably unlivable but there might be another 20 that are damaged as well.

“The 60,000-litre pool dropped to one-third full, most of it is through the building.”

“It’s ruined quite a few apartments and it will be a huge repair bill, in the hundreds of thousands (of dollars) for sure.”

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Apartments on the 32nd floor, directly under the pool were the worst affected, but damage has been reported all through the building.

It is expected to take days before the full extent of the damage is known. A handful of residents and holiday-makers were forced out of their homes.

While floors 33-27 bore the brunt of the damage, residents as far down as level five have also had water seeping through their homes.

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The staff member said it would be an insurance nightmare as each individual apartment owner seeks advice from their insurance companies.

“(The water) may not stop for another week now. It’s still happening. It will take a while before we can get a final figure.

“Some people are still walking around with big fans trying to dry carpets.”