Many Canterbury homes are still affected by unrepaired earthquake damage, while a number of homeowners who thought they were in the clear have noticed that there is still unrepaired or missed earthquake damage affecting their property.
The government created the “on-sold over cap” programme to help Canterbury homeowners who might be in this situation, but applications for the government’s on-sold over-cap programme closed on 14 October 2020.
Here we explain the EQC on-sold over-cap programme, and what you can do if you’ve been told you’re out of time to make a claim for your earthquake affected home.
What is the EQC on-sold over cap programme?
The EQC on-sold over cap programme allowed homeowners to apply if they had purchased a home in Canterbury after the earthquakes and noticed that their home was affected by missed earthquake damage.
Once on the on-sold over cap programme, EQC would cover the repair of any missed earthquake damage. Homeowners would not be limited to EQC’s statutory cap (the ‘EQC cap’), ensuring all the missed earthquake damage would be repaired.
Did you purchase a house after the earthquakes?
If you have purchased a house in Canterbury since the earthquakes, you might have noticed that there is still unrepaired earthquake damage to your property.
How can you tell if a house has earthquake damage?
- Cracks appearing on the walls or the ceiling;
- Floors appearing to be unlevel; and/or
- Doors or windows sticking to their frames or the floor.
Have you been told you are out of time to make a claim under the EQC on-sold over cap programme?
You may have been advised that you are out of time to make a claim under the EQC on-sold over cap programme. This means that if you were to make a claim for missed earthquake damage your claim will be limited to the EQC cap which in most cases is $100,000.
For some homeowners, the cost to repair the missed earthquake damage will be more than the EQC cap.
I’ve purchased an earthquake affected home, what are my rights?
Shine Lawyers has a team of expert insurance lawyers who have successfully helped hundreds of homeowners to achieve the best outcomes with their earthquake claims.
Get in touch today if you:
- are a homeowner who bought a house in Canterbury after the earthquakes; and
- you believe there is missed earthquake damage to your property; and
- you are out of time to make a claim under the EQC on-sold over cap programme.
Our team will investigate your claim, explain all the options available to you and provide advice on securing the best outcome for your home.
