The Insurance Council of New Zealand are advising people to contact their insurer as well as the Earthquake Commission as a result of the earthquakes in the early hours of Monday morning. People who have suffered damage to their home, land or contents from today’s earthquakes have three months to lodge their claim with the Earthquake Commission (EQC). “People’s first priority will be to make sure their loved ones are safe and out of harm’s way. If people need to take urgent action to make their home safe, secure, weather-tight and sanitary, they should also record any remedial work done and take photographs. Commercial property owners should contact their brokers. Insurance Council Chief Executive Tim Grafton says “taking photographic evidence of the damage to your property will help with your claims assessment and if you need to move damaged or contaminated goods from your house for health and safety reasons”. Tips for recovery:
- Contact your insurer, or insurance adviser
- Act safely to prevent more damage to your property
- Try to make the buildings safe and weatherproof
- Take pictures of the damage (buildings and contents) for insurance claims
- Keep all damaged items for inspection
- Get essential services repaired e.g. water, electricity, gas, sewerage – keep copies of your bills
- Make a list and take pictures of any perishables you have to dispose of
- Don’t start non-essential repairs without your insurance company’s approval.
The extent of the insured damage will not be known for some weeks.
