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The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has reminded North Island residents with land damage from flooding or slips following the January storm that they still have time to lodge claims.
EQC chief customer officer Trish Keith said Kaiaua and Thames coast residents need to get their claims in by early April, as the three-month claim lodgement deadline that started from the original date that storm damage occurred is nearing.
“If your property suffered storm, flooding or landslip damage on January 06-07, and you have fire insurance for home or contents, you can lodge an EQC claim,” Keith noted. “It is important to bear in mind that the lodgement period is still three months under the current legislation (the government has signalled a longer claim period but this will not take effect until 2019).”
When extreme weather events occur, EQC said it works with first response agencies such as Civil Defence and local councils to get a picture on the number of damaged properties.
“We work to determine how many properties are affected, the type and extent of the damage, whether there are vulnerable customers and what further risk there is of damage to people’s sections,” she said.
“Each claim is assessed by one of our team and, depending on the type and extent of damage, can also involve geotechnical engineers visiting the property and valuation reports being carried out.
“The more information a customer can provide during the claim process, the more we can understand their requirements and whether their damage is covered under the EQC Act.”
However, Keith also calls on potential claimants who may not have all the information needed to still lodge a claim.
In addition, EQC said its approach is to cash-settle claims for land damage and it is the homeowner’s responsibility to arrange for the necessary work to clear or repair their land.
“If urgent work needs to be carried out on your property, it’s important that you have records of any receipts to include with your EQC claim, and photos of the damage before and after repair,” Keith added.
“EQC will consider a claim for financial costs involved in clearing your section of debris caused by a landslip or flood and our advice is talk to us before you make any repairs and if you need to lodge a claim.”
