Quake stress forces sale of dream home
‘‘Roy kept saying ‘I want to go back’ but we can’t afford to. It’s a heartbreak.’’ Jeanette Walker
It has taken seven-and-a-half years for Roy and Jeanette Walker to get their treasured townhouse fixed.
But the years of wrangling with the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and their private insurer, the 39 visits by various assessors, and an eight-month repair which dragged out to two-and-a-half years have taken a heavy toll on the Christchurch couple.
Their sunny McCormacks Bay house has been handed back to them this month, but the Walkers must reluctantly sell it and go into a retirement home.
Roy, 94, and Jeanette, 81, said the stress of the events had affected their health so badly that their doctor considered it unsafe for them to return.
As well, paying rent and storage costs long after their insurance ran out has drained their retirement savings, meaning they could no longer afford their home’s rates and upkeep.
‘‘We’ve lost our dream house. We are going into a home, which is a hell of a shock,’’ Jeanette said. ‘‘Roy’s health has not improved and I had a breakdown arguing with the insurers who seemed to be making it as difficult as possible.
‘‘The doctor said it was beyond us now. I just got exhausted.
‘‘We feel we’ve been shafted. Roy kept saying ‘I want to go back’ but we can’t afford to. It’s a heartbreak.’’
During the drawn-out Earthquake Commission (EQC) process, Jeanette said they felt ‘‘bullied’’. Eventually the repair went overcap. ‘‘It just went from bad to worse. It was just the most awful experience.’’
Assessments restarted with insurer IAG but things moved very slowly. ‘‘They told us we were on a priority list. God help anyone who wasn’t,’’ Roy, a retired engineer, said.
After repeatedly refusing to manage the repair in favour of a payout, IAG agreed eventually to fix their townhouse.
But the promised eight-month repair took two and a half years and now the Walkers must now farewell the dream home they bought in 1994.
Jeanette has met ‘‘many elderly with the same story – it seems they left the older people to the end. I just think it was cruel’’.
While the couple’s repairs had been well done, the process had cost them their savings, she said.
‘‘That’s the thing that has hurt the aged people – the money they would have used for their retirement has gone.’’
Roy said the system had taken a wide toll. ‘‘People out of Christchurch have no idea what damage – physical, mental and financial – that this had all had on people.’’
Annette Purvis, general manager for IAG’s disaster recovery unit, was unable to comment specifically on the Walkers’ case, but she said the company had prioritised vulnerable customers including the elderly.
After closing its managed repair programme, it managed some repairs on a case-by-case basis, Purvis said.
However, in some situations, due to issues including pre-existing damage and weathertightness, it did not offer managed repairs because timeframes and costs could be unpredictable.
Construction could take longer once it started due to factors such as hidden damage, weather, the availability of contractors and the challenges of a complex site, she said. ‘‘Many of these factors are outside the builder’s or IAG’s control.’’
A ministerial report into EQC in June found disorder and dysfunction in the organisation, noting serious problems with its attitude towards claimants. The report urged staff be required to be respectful and honest with customers.
In response, EQC Minister Megan Woods agreed it ‘‘hadn’t always been the case’’ that EQC had treated claimants acceptably.