Homeowners and renters info

7 February 2023

 

Homeowners

If your property has been damaged by a storm or flood, EQCover will provide some cover for damage to residential land.

Your private insurer will cover damage to your home and / or contents according to the terms of your private insurance policy. They may also provide additional cover (above any EQC entitlement) for some land structures, e.g. retaining walls.

If a landslip has also occurred, we will cover damage to your home as well as the surrounding insured land, where it has been caused by the landslip. 

For more information, go to the EQC website. 

 

Renters

Some advise from Renters United:

  • If your home has been flooded out and uninhabitable, that usually means you don't have access to cooking facilities and cleaning facilities, then you do have the right to stop paying rent until that can be repaired.
  • If it's only minor damage, which means you can't use one or two bedrooms, you can engage in a conversation with your landlord about making sure your rent is reduced appropriately.
  • If your rental property is totally uninhabitable and you need to leave, you need to give two days' notice. That does have to be given to the landlord in writing, clearly stating that you are notifying them that you're leaving the property because it is uninhabitable.
  • If you have any issues with that, it's good to reach out for help from Citizens Advice Bureau and Community Law.
  • Landlords have the right to ask their tenants to leave, but they have to give seven days' notice. Landlords are encouraged to have an open and frank conversation with the tenant about what needs to happen. They do have the opportunity to try and help find that tenant, find a new place.

Communication breakdown

  • If you're not able to come to a resolution, then the best place to go is the tenancy services - that's run by the Government. They have both mediations where you can sit down in a room with your landlord and someone will negotiate that and help you through the process," he explained. 
  • Or you can go to the tribunal and actually get the tribunal to order a rent reduction or an end of the tenancy. So even if there are extenuating circumstances around the Auckland floods that mean you can no longer live in your property, you can have a conversation with tenancy services and a tribunal could help decide whether you can leave that tenancy early or not. For more information, go to Renters United.

 

ENDS