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Source: ONE News -
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A group helping people who have lost their homes and income due to leaky homes is urging Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson to find a solution.
Williamson reportedly told a building research magazine the enormity of the leaky homes saga has come as a big surprise to him and he estimated the repair bill to 20,000 homes at $3.6 billion.
His comments have shocked the Homeowners and Buyers Association.
John Gray of the association says the minister needs to come out with the details of the report he's basing his estimates on and get on with finding a solution to the problem.
"We need action now. We need a rescue package for these people," Gray told Breakfast.
He says leaky homes have destroyed wealth and the fallout in terms of the owners' health and welfare is enormous.
Gray says the problem goes back to about 2002 and the numbers have been suppressed.
He says the report the minister has will be the first authoritative report that really delves into the size of the problem.
Gray has confirmed there have been three suicides directly attributable to leaky homes and others are on suicide watch.
He says it remains unclear what the outcomes will be for the leaky homeowners and whether the government is in a position to provide some sort of rescue package for them.
He says funding for the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service will only deal with a small number of cases.
Gray says councils clearly have a duty to the homeowners and have proven to be negligent time and again. Yet, he says, they still go into bat against homeowners who have done nothing wrong but buy a defective home.
He says the minister has committed to coming up with a solution but "at the moment might be a little taken aback by the size of the problem".
