WHRS claims - types of assessment

Once a WHRS claim under the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services Act 2006 has been brought and appears capable of meeting the eligibility criteria, the property is assessed by an independent assessor assigned by Weathertight Services.
Claimants have two options for assessment.

• A full assessor’s report.
• An eligibility assessor’s report (the only choice if repairs have been undertaken).

The main differences between the reports are as follows.

Full assessor’s report		Eligibility assessor’s report
$500 fee for stand-alone house or single unit $1000 for a duplex (two units) in a stand-alone complex $1500 fee for multi-unit complex or stand-alone complex		Free
About 50 pages with photos		Small number of pages only
Detailed, comprehensive report		Statement of assessor's opinion on eligibility only
Provides comprhensive evidence of leaks and damage that can be used as the basis for the WHRS claim		No comprehensive information on leaks or damage
Both actual and potential weathertightness damage identified		No comprehensive identification of damage
Repair cost estimated		No estimate of repair cost
Parties to the WHRS claim (in the assessor's opinion) identified		No identification of parties to the WHRS claim
Full invasive testing necessary		Limited invasive testing necessary

Following is a guideline to help decide which assessment option better suits your WHRS claim and how this decision will affect your claim. The full assessor’s report is the better option for WHRS claimants who:

• want to resolve their WHRS claim so they can then pay for repairs
• want a full assessment before deciding whether to repair first or settle first.

The eligibility assessor’s report is better for WHRS claimants who:

• want to complete repairs before settling their WHRS claim
• only want to verify eligibility before starting repairs
• have access to finance and expertise for repairs
• will carefully record all evidence of leaks and damage during the repair process
• will keep all receipts for the cost of the repair, as evidence for the resolution process later.

Unlike a full assessor’s report, the eligibility assessor’s report provides insufficient evidential basis for resolving a WHRS claim. This means that you need to identify potentially liable parties and quantify your claim yourself. Your claims advisor can discuss this in more detail, but cannot recommend particular parties or repair options. You may wish to seek advice from a technical and/or legal expert to help you with this.

Please call your claims advisor on 0800 324 477 if you have any questions about this process.
Further information is also available on our website at www.dbh.govt.nz

This includes the following information sheets to help claimants through the WHRS claims process.

• Assessing your house
• Invasive testing
• Mediation
• Maintenance and repairs
• Repairs and the resolution process