A complaint has today been laid with the Ombudsman regarding the recent changes to the EQC/NHC On Sold Programme (OSP) announced earlier this month by the Associate Finance Minister, David Seymour.

Former city councillor and claimant supporter, Ali Jones, says after only a few short weeks, the negative results of the OSP changes on homeowners’ ability to progress their claims in a fair and reasonable way, affording them natural justice, has been concerning.

“Unfortunately, not only is EQC/NHC laying down deadlines for homeowners and not for themselves, but the directions related to those deadlines can be nonsense. Additionally, it has become clear in the last few days, that if the deadline is not met, the homeowner will be expelled from the On Sold programme. This leaves them no choice but to take legal action and ironically, that was one of the key things the On Sold programme was set up to avoid,” says Jones.

Some homeowners are having reports from their correctly instructed and qualified independent structural engineers rejected by EQC/NHC with no explanation or supporting evidence to back the Commission’s decision up.

“This will happen more and more as NHC has been directed to wrap the OSP up and this is how Minister Seymour is making them do that. Basically, talk to the hand and do what we tell you, build it by who we tell you, design it by who we tell you, whether it is correct or not,” says Jones.

Ironically, the OSP was set up to deal with an absolute mess left behind by EQC and their own repair programme – missed damage, poor repairs, woefully deficient structural engineering if any at all – now this could all come back again for poor homeowners.

“It’s like a recurring nightmare, deja vu. I am reminded of the then Prime Minister John Key’s promise more than 12 years ago, to Cantabrians that no-one would be worse off. They seem rather hollow words now,” says Jones.

Jones said earlier this month she agreed with David Seymour that the On Sold programme was never intended to continue indefinitely, however the costs and delays are more often than not the result of NHCs processes and behaviour.

“Putting deadlines on homeowners and then kicking them out of the programme because those homeowners want to be sure their home is repaired properly and not as NHC/EQC is demanding, is just plain wrong,” she says.

The basis of her complaint to the Ombudsman is that the modifications to the On Sold Programme have raised serious concerns about unequal treatment for affected clients, the removal of natural justice, a lack of policy transparency, and potential biases that may influence the fair administration of the initiative.

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