15 February 2005

Govt Should Get Serious On Leaky Buildings

New Zealand First housing spokesperson Brent Catchpole is urging the Government to get serious about resolving leaky building claims.

Mr Catchpole’s comments follow a report that Watertight Homes Resolution Service (WHRS) could take until 2025 to resolve current claims.

“The Government’s approach to the leaky building issue is to allow it to drift away into the distance and to forget about it,” said Mr Catchpole.

“By absolving the Building Industry Authority, it attempted to avoid any responsibility for the debacle.

“It must be infuriating to owners of homes that have been affected to watch the Government repeatedly fail to resolve the issue or to provide any real relief for those people who have to live in substandard homes.

“The Government has no real intention of ensuring the WHRS works effectively. Claims are taking forever to resolve and just last year the BIA forced one set of claimants through court rather than allowing for a mediation process.

“The Government needs to provide the WHRS with more resources in order to speed up the claims process so that property owners can get some satisfaction,” concluded Mr Catchpole.

ENDS

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