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Delays in hearing from EQC about earthquake damage claims

19 September 2010

Some Canterbury residents are becoming concerned about not having heard from the Earthquake Commission since lodging earthquake damage claims.

“As of today we had received 62,015 claims.  It will certainly be weeks before some claimants hear from us and many months before all claims are settled,” the chief executive of EQC, Ian Simpson, said today.

“We are working through the claims on a priority basis and do ask that claimants be as patient as possible as we increase our resources to cope with this unprecedented event.

“Certainly if there are habitability, safety and/or weatherproofing issues we have yet to deal with we want to hear from people urgently.

“Our assessment process is well underway.  We have three field offices up and running and further offices will be opened as they can be staffed. By tomorrow we will have around 300 staff on the ground including 210 involved in actual assessment of damage to property.  We expect to have over 400 staff in Canterbury before too long.

“We have assessed close to 2000 properties and have started paying out on claims.  We have concentrated on the most seriously-affected properties in the following areas:  Kaiapoi, Bexley, Burwood and Dallington.  We have now started on those in Avonside and Lyttelton and will start on Selwyn and Halswell tomorow. 

Engineers have also inspected over 3000 homes in areas where liquefaction occurred.  Also, as of today 2,737 homes had been reported as uninhabitable and 3,053 as not weatherproof.

“Some owners of homes damaged by the Canterbury earthquake have expressed concern that their EQC claims will be recorded on the properties’ LIMs (Land Information Memoranda),” says Ian Simpson, chief executive of the Earthquake Commission.

“EQC claim information is not recorded on LIMs.  Whatever is recorded on a LIM or PIM (Property Information Memorandum) is the responsibility of the local authority.

“We arenow urging any residential property owner with earthquake damage who has yet to make a claim to do so as soon as possible.  Our call centres are no longer over-loaded  and the lines should be clear.

“This may apply particularly to owners of holiday homes who have yet to visit these properties.

“We are now extending our definition of emergency repairs to include reasonable permanent roof repairs.  People are already able to get emergency repairs such as those needed to secure and waterproof a property, remove a badly damaged chimney and fix broken services such as sewer, water and power connections.

“Now people can get reasonable permanent roof repairs before an EQC assessor has visited to a maximum value of $2000 including replacement of tiles, rebedding and capping tiles, and refastening of iron sheets.

“It is an extremely difficult time for many Canterbury residents and considerable patience and understanding is going to be required over the weeks and months ahead,” Mr Simpson concluded.

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