A Christchurch family believes that the final insurance settlement offered to them is not enough to fix their earthquake-damaged home.
Jody Devine moved into a home in Wainoni with her husband and their two children in 2015. After the previous owner insured the house for $126,000 during the Canterbury earthquake in 2010, the EQC considered it repaired.
However, the 5.7 magnitude Valentine’s Day earthquake in 2016 left the home cold and destroyed – with a damaged roof and doors as well as a cracked window frame and concrete.
Southern Response initially offered $18,448 to fix the property but Devine rejected it. The state insurer eventually offered $126,000 as a full and final settlement as it believed the home could be fixed for the same amount it was previously insured for – but Devine begged to differ.
“Southern Response received our engineers report, they reviewed it ... they have ignored the cracks on the walls ... they’ve missed the fact we’ve got a bearer popped up in the hallway,” Devine told RNZ.
Renee Walker, deputy chief executive at EQC, said that they were confident with the offer and they will cover the cost if the EQC-managed repair option was chosen.
“The offer that’s been made to Jody and Scott is for $126,000 or ... we will complete the repair for them. If it increased past that value on the agreed scope then the cost would be ours when we start the repair,” she told RNZ.
The offer remains until Friday.
