Frustration is growing among some St Clair residents unable to return to their homes since they were forced to evacuate last month.

Six properties, four in Motu St and two in Allandale Rd, have been off-limits since the Dunedin City Council issued dangerous building notices in December, after a large slip and cracking was discovered under one of the Allandale Rd houses.

One resident remains in emergency accommodation provided and paid for by the council.

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has received claims from all six property owners.

Motu St resident Johanna Kinvig said she was frustrated at the lack of communication from both the council and the EQC.

Ms Kinvig said the only discussion she has had with either organisation since last year was a council staff member calling to ask if the EQC had contacted her.

''It's very frustrating. I have heard nothing about how they are going to fix the problem and who is going to fix it,'' she said.

She has had to move into a rental home and has had to clear her Motu St home.

''We don't even have a timeframe and I, like the other residents, want to return home ASAP.''

Another property owner, who did not want to be named, said he was also frustrated at the lack of communication.

An EQC spokesman confirmed there had been no contact with the residents since last year.

They had been told via email before Christmas that any progress was unlikely until this week.

Surveyors would be assessing the slip and the surrounding properties this week.

The residents would be updated when more information became available, the spokesman said.

Council building solutions principal adviser Neil Mcleod said the council had been in regular contact with the owners, usually weekly, since the notices were issued.

Engineers from EQC or the owners' insurance companies were responsible for checking the stability of the site, Mr McLeod said.

The residents would be allowed to return home once engineers determined it was safe for them to do so.

 - Otago Daily Times

 

EQC Update - 11 January 18

Over the last week there have been a number of press and radio stories regarding eight Dunedin properties affected by landslip last month.

EQC appointed Surveyors visited the properties prior to Christmas and again yesterday. Further minor movement was observed across the site, and as a result, monitoring will continue for at least two more weeks before next steps are agreed. Homeowners remain out of their homes while further investigative work is carried out.

We are in regular communication with affected homeowners and the Dunedin City Council, and there is a clear plan for managing resolution of these claims.

The media stories highlighted the complexity involved in managing land claims, and the need for greater clarity regarding the roles of the stakeholders and timeframes involved.

This afternoon Technical Claims Managers, Brad Dahlenburg and Cameron Tiananga, spoke to Tim Miller from the Otago Daily Times to provide an update on progress and explain EQC’s role following a landslip.

 

What EQC Does?

• EQC’s role is to assess the physical loss or damage to property which is insured under the Earthquake Commission Act 1993 (EQC Act).
• When the damage is caused by landslip EQC usually requires input from a Geotechnical engineer to assess and report on the natural disaster damage which has occurred and to provide a ‘conceptual’ remedial solution to repair the damaged insured property and/or, the cost of preventing damage to insured property that is considered imminent as a direct result of the natural disaster that has occurred.
• EQC generally cash settles land claims and homeowners are responsible for managing their own repairs.
• The remedial solution homeowners decide to carry out may be the same or similar to the ‘conceptual’ remedial solution recommended by the EQC engineers, or an alternative remedial solution that is effective and may also be more cost effective.
• The engineer’s report is produced for EQC for the sole purpose of assisting EQC to determine whether it has any liabilities under the Earthquake Commission Act 1993.
• Local councils determine if properties are safe to occupy and have the legal authority to ask residents to evacuate by issuing buildings with a Section 124, Dangerous Building Notice (‘red sticker’), having assessed the safety risks which may include engaging their own relevant experts e.g. engineers for advice.
• The EQC commissioned engineer report is NOT for a Council to use to determine if a property is safe to occupy, or for the purposes of deciding whether to issue and/or remove a Section 124, Dangerous Building Notice.
• However if the engineer (for EQC) identifies safety concerns during their inspection they will notify the Council who will then need to decide what action they need to take to address the matter.

The engineer’s report (for EQC) is normally based on a visual inspection, however in some circumstances, e.g. where the nature of the land movement (depth and extent) is complex, further geotechnical investigation may be required for EQC to quantify the property damage and determine the customer’s EQC claim entitlement.