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Officials have called on private insurers to join a new ‘one-stop shop’ created by the government to resolve earthquake insurance claims.
Megan Woods, minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, recently launched the Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service (GCCRS), which facilitates the speedy resolution of earthquake damage claims.
The new service will provide settlement advice, mediation, engineering expertise, legal guidance, and dispute resolution to the 3,137 open claims with the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and the 548 claims still with Southern Response.
However, around 1,400 homeowners with unsettled private insurance claims may not receive the full benefit of the new service if the private insurers do not cooperate, according to a report by Stuff.
Both EQC and Southern Response have provided property reports, but private insurers have not, the report added.
In order to remedy this, Woods invited private insurers to participate in the GCCRS.
Tim Grafton, chief executive of the Insurance Council of New Zealand, said that private insurers are likely waiting to see if the service will provide a significant improvement over the previous system. If it indeed allows claims to be settled quicker, then the private insurers will surely be interested in joining.
In response, insurance advocate Ali Jones criticised the private insurers as “woefully absent” and urged them to “get involved.” She expressed positivity about the new service, which also includes post-settlement support, adding that the period following the settlement of claims could be a “real crash” for homeowners.
According to Jones, there were several issues with repair methodology, and an independent panel from Engineering NZ could provide advice to address these issues.
