Broken houses still leaving their mark

While many in Canterbury have been able to leave the stress of dealing with broken houses behind them, there are still thousands of homeowners who are battling to get their damaged homes repaired or replaced.

The Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service (GCCRS) and the Residential Advisory Service have helped nearly 9,000 homeowners and are still providing support.

GCCRS director Darren Wright says they have 750 open claims and they are dealing with about 50 new claims per month.

He says his team is regularly contacted by people who have found new damage, or who are concerned about the quality of the repairs to their property.

"It can be hard to move on when you’re living with the stress of an unresolved claim. Fighting to put it right can be exhausting and can take a big toll on the property owner.”

Darren says homeowners talk about feeling a massive weight lifted from their shoulders once they have a resolution.

“A lot of people get very surprised at just how much it was dominating their lives”.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see people who can suddenly get on with their lives because they're not held up from this, they don't have it hanging over them anymore.”

GCCRS provides support that ranges from case management, where they stand alongside the homeowner and help them with insurance companies and EQC through to providing technical advice such as legal or engineering support, or in some cases connection to wellbeing services.

“Our door is still open, we are absolutely here to help. People can walk through our door, go onto the website (www.gccrs.govt.nz), or give us a call on 0508 624 237.”