*ARCHIVE* - Weathertight homes service moves forward - 28 Nov 2002
The Weathertight Homes Resolution Service expects to start appointing assessors in the coming week to look at leaky homes belonging to property owners who have registered with the service.
Project co-ordinator Richard Martin said it’s hoped that accredited assessors would be on the job before Christmas, with further appointments in the new year.
Assessors will inspect properties, free of charge to the home owner, and report on all relevant matters including possible causes and estimated cost of repairs. The service will appoint a case manager to handle each case.
Once homes have been assessed, homeowners who meet the service’s entry criteria can choose to move into the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service voluntary mediation process or opt immediately for its compulsory adjudication process.
Mr Martin said the mediation process will be confidential and confidentiality is protected by law. Everyone involved in the resolution service is obliged to maintain that privacy.
The service has received 456 registrations from homeowners since a website and 0800 phone number were set up in mid-October. Ninety-eight registrations were received during the last week (to November 27). The toll-free number has received 1,227 calls, 165 in the last week.
Overall, 46 per cent of the calls have come from the northern region (Auckland -Whangarei), 11% from the Waikato-Bay of Plenty region, 29 per cent from the central region (Napier/Wanganui to Nelson/Blenheim) and 14 per cent from the southern region (Christchurch/West Coast/Invercargill).
The toll-free number operates from 8.30am to 7pm Monday to Friday on 0800-116-926. The website can be accessed at any time at www.weathertightness.govt.nz.
The Department of Internal Affairs is running both these services and each Thursday will update the weathertightness website to show the number of registrations received.
For more information contact:
Karen Fisher
Communications Adviser
Weathertightness Project
Department of Internal Affairs
Tel: (04) 494 0644
Total calls to the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service at 27 November 2002
| From |
No. |
| Whangarei |
32 |
| Waitakere |
75 |
| North Shore |
146 |
| Auckland |
262 |
| Manukau |
62 |
| Hamilton |
40 |
| Tauranga |
61 |
| Rotorua |
16 |
| Gisborne |
13 |
| New Plymouth |
18 |
| Palmerston North |
38 |
| Napier |
9 |
| Wellington |
249 |
| Lower Hutt |
36 |
| Nelson |
20 |
| Blenheim |
8 |
| Christchurch |
88 |
| Timaru |
5 |
| Dunedin |
14 |
| Invercargill |
29 |
| Greymouth |
6 |
| Total: |
1,227 |