Krystal Brens has been told it may be more than a year before she and her three daughters are allowed back in her home.
Ms Brens’ house is fully insured, but the land it sits on has continued to slip and one of the house piles has cracked.
The damage, caused by the landslip, fell under the Natural Hazards Commission (NHC), formally the Earthquake Commission, and was not covered by her insurance.
"It is a living nightmare," she said.
Ms Brens said her insurer told her not to be surprised if it took more than a year before she could live in her home.
The family is living out of suitcases and had not been back in the house since it was red-stickered on October 5.
"I’m still in a state of shock.
"I still have to pay a mortgage. I still have to pay rates — rates on a house I can’t live in."
When she bought her house just over a year ago, a Land Information Memorandum and a builder’s report on the property gave "no indication" it was susceptible to landslips and none of her neighbours had been affected.
NHC would pay out the lesser of either the value of the affected land or the repair costs. The land value was minimal compared to the "huge" cost of repairs, she said.
"Selling it’s not an option ... if the government paid out, I would still have to pay back that mortgage to the bank.
"I’m at breaking point — if I didn’t have the kids and the amazing friends I have around me, I would have jumped off a cliff."
A building report from an NHC assessor was due but it could be up to six months before a geotechnical engineer could look at the house, leaving Ms Brens questioning if she would ever set foot inside it again.
"There are so many things you have to organise, hoops to jump ... I have no idea what I’m doing."
The flooding had left her life and routine in disarray.
Ms Brens had secured temporary accommodation until the end of the month, while her daughters were staying with their father and her pet dog had been taken in by friends.
"I don’t get to see the kids as often ... [they are] are struggling."
A friend had set up a Givealittle page to cover the family’s "basic survival" in the short term.
But in the long run, she wanted to return home.
"It’s my home ... it’s my reward for working my arse off.
"I worked so hard for this house and my life’s just been tipped upside down."
A Dunedin City Council spokesperson said to date 90 properties had been inspected following the floods — 11 were red-stickered (entry is prohibited), 44 yellow-stickered (access is restricted) and 10 white-stickered (may be damaged but can be used).
