A homeowner is frustrated she has settled with her insurer close to what she asked for, but after a long delay during which she has stayed in her damaged home. File pic Photo: Drew Lorrey / NIWA / Supplied
An Auckland resident says her insurer upped its offer for flood repairs after she questioned the scope and sought a second opinion.
A project manager by trade, Jen Jones got quotes for the repair work for her flood-damaged home of about $90,000 but the insurer's own scope came in at just over $20,000.
Fully insured, she questioned missing elements of the insurer's quote and has now settled for $80,000 plus a temporary accommodation allowance.
"It's frustrating because we landed pretty much where my original claim was but several months later. That's several months of wasted time, that's several months of living in a house that has flood damage," Jones said.
"It's frustrating that I had to push back and fight to get what was fair."
Jones has to replace her kitchen, flooring and part of the ceiling after her house flooded in the anniversary weekend storm.
She said builders had told her they were quoting for some repair jobs after homeowners had accepted an insurance payout.
"Homeowners are going through a claim process, accepting a cash settlement and then going out to a builder and saying: 'hey come quote this work, here is how much money I've got', and that's when they realise they don't have enough."
More than 1000 homeowners across the country have registered with the service for help with insurance problems following the Auckland Anniversary Weekend flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle.
This week, Claims Resolution Service director Darren Wright said homeowners should get independent advice before agreeing to an insurer's payout.
"We are starting to see some insurers send homeowners scope of works and putting money in their accounts," he said.
"It's really important that homeowners understand what their rights and obligations are when it comes to trying to settle their insurance policy."
Wright said homeowners also needed to seek clarity on who managed the repair - the insurer or the homeowner.