Five houses have been deemed unsafe to live in following a slip in Maungatapu.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a landslide took out multiple houses on Ergret Avenue.

A couple and a their five children were directly impacted by the landslide.

They have spoken about how grateful they are to have survived and have described how they crawled through mud screaming their children's name when the lanslide first happened. Read more here.

Tauranga City Council building inspectors and geotechnical engineers have finished their evaluation of damage to properties on Egret Avenue in Maungatapu and completed a safety assessment of the surrounding area.

Five homes have been deemed unsafe to live in and issued with Dangerous Building Notices, while the rest of the homes that were assessed are safe to live in and residents have been advised they can return home, says a Tauranga City Council spokesperson.

Emergency services at the scene of the landslide on Sunday morning.

"Those who are unable to return to their homes are staying with family and friends. Engineers will now assess what repairs or actions are required for the properties to be deemed safe.

"Council staff have spoken with all affected homeowners and will continue to provide support and communication over the coming weeks.

"With more rain forecast this week, now is a good time to check gutters and clear drains, and to check in with whānau, friends and neighbours.

"Please contact Tauranga City Council on 07 5777 000 if you spot any fallen trees, slips or flooding in your area."