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Deadline day for thousands of Christchurch homes

Published: 7:24AM Sunday August 19, 2012 Source: ONE News

Almost 3000 Christchurch homeowners had until today to make a decision about the future of their homes, with just a handful of outstanding cases.

Crown offers were made to 2970 homeowners after the first round of land-zoning decisions, which were announced in June last year.

Insured homeowners were offered the choice of either accepting the latest rating valuation for their land and buildings from the Crown, or taking an offer for just their damaged land and dealing with EQC and insurers to recover the cost of their homes.

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The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority said there were around 20 homeowners who have not yet accepted either option.

Some homeowners said they have had difficulty dealing with insurers and EQC.

One Christchurch red-zone resident told ONE News the Government had backtracked on an offer to rebuild her home.

Jan Sparrow, 69, said she was told her Bexley house was to be rebuilt, as recently as last month.

However, the New Zealand Earthquake Commission (EQC) maintains Sparrow's house was only ever going to be repaired.

A rebuild would see Sparrow receive a larger pay out from her insurer, more than what the Crown would offer.

A statement from CERA released to ONE News said Sparrow had all of the necessary information to make an informed decision on her property.

Yet after enquiries, CERA decided to set up a meeting with Sparrow on Monday to talk about her options.

Living in a caravan

Despite two winters living in a caravan on the front lawn of his home of 45 years - land deemed among the most risky to build on in Christchurch - 65-year-old Phil Thompson considers himself luckier than most.

He was uninsured when the earthquakes hit, and his green-blue (technical category 3) Shirley home has been stripped of furniture and plaster, is raised on wooden blocks, and is sinking in the middle.

Now retired, and unable to afford a builder, he has no choice but to repair it himself.

"She's a grand old lady, and we just need to give her some botox. I'm retired, so I have nothing better to do anyway."

When the February 2011 earthquake hit, the house "moved extensively" off its foundations, the power was cut, and it became unlivable.

Thompson said he paid insurance on the house for about 30 years.

But when he and his wife separated in 2000 he could no longer afford it, and without insurance he was also ineligible for Earthquake Commission cover.

The day after the quake, Thompson, his 53-year-old partner Debra Savage, and their cat Boss, moved into a tiny caravan on their front lawn, shifting all their belongings into a shipping container in the driveway. "The house is the castle, we're just temporarily in the sentry box."

For 18 months they have showered at a neighbour's house, carried a torch and climbed through their broken home to use the toilet, and kept a small amount of clothes in a plastic container under a table.

A dehumidifier stops condensation from wetting the bedding at night. "We have seen snow in this caravan, flooding in this caravan, and been through two winters - it's not fun."

The pair both have serious health problems and Thompson said he had been getting "a little bit angry at the bastards holding me back", and at first he had felt "disenfranchised and alone" as one of "the great uninsured".

Thompson's land was late last year labelled TC3, the most unstable in the city that hasn't been red-zoned.

Many disgruntled TC3 residents have protested against the repair delays, a lack of answers, and the miscommunication over their land.

But Thompson said he sighed with relief when he went green-blue and not red.

"I used to feel terrified being uninsured, but now I feel lucky.

"I feel sympathy for the insured, because they are getting royally dealt to by insurance companies and the Earthquake Commission.

"I don't have to wait for other people to make a decision because I'm paying."

Instead of waiting on bureaucratic hurdles, Thompson must wait on the weather.

He had an engineer assess his foundations last week and said work was expected to start on his house within the next two weeks.

"We may be uninsured but we are not whingeing about it, we just want to get in and do it."

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