People have three months to lodge EQC claims from earthquakes

People who have suffered damage to their home, land or contents from yesterday's earthquakes in Canterbury have three months to lodge their claim with the Earthquake Commission (EQC).

EQC chief executive Ian Simpson says that Canterbury people have plenty of time to make a claim, after taking care of themselves, their families and friends.

“It can take some time for the picture regarding claims to emerge as people come to terms with what’s happened and had a chance to take stock of what’s happened to their properties,” Mr Simpson says.

“EQC senior managers met on Sunday afternoon, and we will be monitoring the situation as it unfolds. There have been reports of liquefaction and we have geotechnical engineers out in the field to make an initial assessment of the damage. We are also increasing the number of staff in our contact centres from tomorrow to handle any increase in calls,” Mr Simpson says.

Lodging a claim

People can lodge claims with EQC online today at eqc.govt.nz/claims, via email on info@eqc.govt.nz, or by calling 0800 DAMAGE (326 243). People can leave a voice message on the 0800 line. The EQC call centre is open7am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays.

Customers must have a home or contents fire insurance policy with an insurance company on their home at the time of the earthquakes to make a claim for home, contents and/or land damage. It is helpful if customers have the details of their insurance policy at hand when they contact EQC.

EQC covers earthquake damage to homes (usually up to $100,000 + GST), contents (usually up to $20,000 + GST) and a defined area of residential land.

Making homes safe

If people need to take action to make their home safe, sanitary, secure and weather-tight, they should also record the work done, take photographs where appropriate, and keep a copy of any bills paid. Reimbursement for temporary or urgent repairs is subject to EQC acceptance of a valid claim.

Home owner security

EQC staff will always carry photo identification and usually phone to arrange an assessment of a customer’s property.

Ends

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