The number of claims made to the Earthquake Commission has topped 60,000 as complaints grow from Canterbury residents about the commission's slow response to claims.As of today the EQC has received 62,015 claims. The EQC cover applies only to residential
The number of claims made to the Earthquake Commission has topped 60,000 as complaints grow from Canterbury residents about the commission’s slow response to claims.
As of today the EQC has received 62,015 claims. The EQC cover applies only to residential properties and pays out the first $100,000, with private insurers paying out the balance owing.
The EQC also covers contents up to $20,000.
“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.”
He said the commission has three field offices up and running and by tomorrow will have about 300 staff including 210 involved in actual assessment of property damage.
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.
