On Christmas Day, Jon – who asked for his surname to be withheld – came back from holidays to find his backyard and shed under two feet of water.

His father, John, had been housesitting on Christmas Day when "a torrent of water burst through the back fence".

The foul-smelling water, contaminated with sewage, damaged belongings stored in the she

d and flooded the ducted heating and airconditioning system inside the house, causing the stench to spread throughout the house, Jon said.

Forced out of the house, the family is staying in temporary accommodation.

His insurer would not inspect the property until it was cleaned, he said

, but he estimated the damage and cleaning bill to be more than $30,000.

Christmas Day was the fourth time in four years his street had flooded, Jon said. "It happens every time we get heavy rain," he said.

Now, the family has decided to sell the house as there are concerns the problem will worsen.

In a letter seen by BNW, Jon complained to the council, saying the drainage problems should have been identified when planning permits were issued for the shed four years ago.

Complaints about flooding had been made to the council from neighbouring residents, Jon said.

Nillumbik spokeswoman Joanne Hammond said the council sympathised with residents, but denied the council had received any complaints from other residents on Christmas Day or during other floods.

Ms Hammond said the council was not responsible for the sewage system.

Yarra Valley Water's infrastructure services general manager David Snadden said the authority had not been contacted by the residents but would try to contact those affected to investigate the issue.