‘At-risk’ property owners in limbo

Hundreds of Canterbury’s most atrisk homeowners are still waiting for earthquake claims to be resolved by Crown-owned insurers.

Figures provided by the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and Southern Response show nearly 200 customers’ cases considered vulnerable have not been resolved.

An EQC spokesman said it was still resolving claims for just over 100 properties with potentially vulnerable customers.

Its website stated those with a terminal illness, a serious condition or a health condition managed with medication could be considered vulnerable. Other criteria also apply.

Each customer was prioritised on a case-by-case basis and changing, difficult events could mean someone became vulnerable after their claims process began, EQC said.

It could not give a total figure because customers were categorised vulnerable until their claims settled – even if they had since ceased to be vulnerable.

There was no timeline for resolution because vulnerable customers might have remedial or drainage requests that would go into 2017, EQC said.

Peter Cropp was diagnosed with prostate cancer 14 months ago, about 12 months after initial repairs.

‘‘Some months later, we found that there were obvious cracks in the concrete floor.

‘‘The floor is still very, very uneven. We’ve still got a couple of doors that don’t shut properly.’’

Shortly after the first repairs were finished, Cropp was diagnosed with ‘‘high-risk’’ prostate cancer.

‘‘I’ve had a three-monthly check and it looked OK then, but I’m still on six-monthly injections of testosterone-reducing agent, which also has quite dramatic effects.’’

EQC’s head of Canterbury dwelling settlement, Michael Price, said when initial work was done at Cropp’s property an inspection concluded there was evidence some damage was not earthquake-related.

A revised re-levelling plan was developed.

‘‘The house was re-inspected as part of the review of subfloor work in 2016, but because parts of the house are sitting so close to the ground, it is not possible to easily check all the work beneath the house.’’

An engineering report was completed and is being reviewed. EQC would contact Cropp ‘‘soon’’ to discuss next steps.

EQC said it was investigating Cropp’s concerns about plumbing and cracks in the bathroom.

Labour’s Canterbury spokeswoman, Megan Woods, was disappointed to see people ‘‘in incredibly vulnerable circumstances’’ unable to move on.

‘‘I would definitely have expected these people’s issues to be resolved after six years, especially given they are apparently EQC’s number-one priority,’’ she said.

The minister responsible for EQC, Gerry Brownlee, said it was inappropriate to comment without knowing the circumstances surrounding each claim.

Existing claims were complex and there was no denying involved parties wanted resolutions as soon as possible, he said.

‘‘Given the unprecedented nature of the Canterbury earthquakes and subsequent major insurance event, I remain confident in both Southern Response and EQC to continue progressing claims,’’ Brownlee said.

Woods said EQC needed to urgently set a deadline for the claims and stick to it.

‘‘Then we need an urgent inquiry into what has gone wrong at EQC and how this mess has happened,’’ she said.

A Southern Response spokeswoman said the company had 80 customers requiring additional support.

This included customers with physical or mental health issues, or difficult living situations.

‘‘In most cases they require a more hands-on and time-intensive support system tailored to their needs,’’ the spokeswoman said.

The customers were being supported by customer liaison advisers, she said, and guidelines for identifying the customers were in line with those established by the Human Rights Commission.

Southern Response was working closely with remaining customers to settle as quickly as possible, the spokeswoman said.