While Canterbury basked in January sunshine, the North Island was hit by record rainfall that left roads closed, communities cut off, and Elton John cancelled. The flooding and landslides caused millions of dollars of damage.

Then February brought Cyclone Gabrielle and with it even bigger landslides, wider and deeper flooding and devastation unlike any seen in recent times.

There have been some changes to insurance processes since many of us made claims for earthquake damage in 2011. It is important that our Northern neighbours know what needs to be done to make a claim for damage caused by record rainfall, floods and landslides.  So, please reach out and pass on this information so they know what to do.

Steps to take to make an insurance claim

1. Under your home insurance policy there is a component that provides insurance cover for natural disasters - flooding, landslips, earthquakes, and damage caused by severe storms, winds and rain.
2. You can claim for damage to your home and buildings as well as damage to the contents of your home.
3. You can also claim for land damage including silt and debris inundation, (that is the deposit of soil, sand and other items) on your property and land scour.
4. To make a claim, contact your private insurer. Your Insurer will manage the entire insurance claim process including any natural disaster cover on behalf of EQC.
5. Make your claim within 3 months of the damage occurring but don’t wait, claim as soon as possible.
6. You should claim for damage caused by each identifiable event.
7. Take photos. The more photos the better.
8. Keep copies of all invoices for “make safe” repairs. Make safe repairs are repairs to essential services such as water, electricity, gas and sewage.
9. Clean up what you can and dispose of any water, mud or damaged goods that pose a health risk.
10. Write a list of everything that was damaged. Keep any damaged items that do not pose a health risk. Record the damage using video or photo before you start any clean up. Take photos of the watermarks on your walls and furniture.
11. If there is a dispute over the resolution of the insurance claim, the homeowner bears the burden of proof. This means that you must prove what the damage is, how it needs to be remediated and what this cost is.
12. In either case, we recommend getting quotes, so you know the real cost of repairing and replacing any damaged items.
13. If necessary, get a quote from the builder that will actually do the job and will honour the quote, so you have a full scope of work and costing and know what the cost will be.

If you need advice on the best way to proceed, or if you find yourself in a dispute over your insurance claim please contact Emily Flaszynski, Principal (DDI 03 343 8452 / emily@mmlaw.co.nz) for a friendly no obligation chat.