Leaky homes continue to be a problem and with the 10-year limitation period approaching for many buildings, Ellie Constantine learns a campaign is planned to raise homeowner awareness.
Statistically, there are not as many leaky homes in the South Island as in the North, but that is no reason be be complacent.
When it comes to leaky homes, there is often more than meets the eye.
In order to increase understanding of the issue, the Homeowners and Buyers Association (Hobanz) plans to launch a South Island awareness campaign later this year, president John Gray said.
There are an estimated 80,000 leaky homes in New Zealand.
Early last month, the Department of Building and Housing had received 5646 claims, 571 of which came from the South Island, chief communications adviser Diana Marriott said.
Of the national total, 2146 were classed as active by the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service, 155 of those were in the South Island.
Active referred to a claim which was being processed for eligibility, was awaiting a claimant decision, or a resolution was being sought.
However Mr Gray was concerned South Island home owners had problems they were not yet aware of and could miss out on receiving compensation if they went unnoticed within the 10-year limitation period.
"So many people in the South Island have their heads in the sand."
While the association did not want to be "scaremongering", it did not want home owners to find out too late they had a problem. The advertising campaign would focus on encouraging people to have their homes professionally surveyed which would allow them to "protect their investment".
If no issue was found, people would at least be able to form a maintenance plan.
Through his work with Hobanz, Mr Gray had seen the devastation a leaky home could cause: "It destroys people's lives."
Southern home owners tended to think they were free from leaky home worry because of the dry climate and traditional building designs, he said. However, traditional designs had failed as well and people often had misconceptions about leaky homes.
Many expected them to look wet and drip, which they tended not to do, he said.
However, for councils in Otago complaints of leaky homes were few. Dunedin City Council chief building control officer Neil McLeod believed only two cases had arisen in Dunedin, both of which were resolved through mediation.
He thought a number of factors contributed to this record, including Dunedin's less humid climate compared with Auckland, a conscientious workforce and a good building control unit.
The city's conservative nature also helped, as people did not tend to go for "way out" designs.
Central Otago District Council had just one complaint of which building control officer Stu Geddes was aware. That situation was rectified through mediation. He, too, believed the area's climate and low rainfall was a factor.
The situation was the same in North Otago where there were no leaky homes issues, Waitaki District Council regulatory services manager Paul Arnold said.
Clutha District Council planning and environment manager Murray Brass said his area's small size and small pool of designers and builders meant general design and construction issues were minimal and no leaky homes had come to his attention.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council had experienced a few leaky home complaints, the majority of which were settled through mediation, building manager Peter Laurenson said.
Being aware of the issue was sensible and he placed importance on home owners maintaining their property.
According to the Department of Building and Housing website, the Queenstown Lakes District Council had eight active claims and the Dunedin City Council had three, as at January 5 this year. Other councils in the region had none.
Mr Gray also had advice for people looking at building or buying a house.
It was important to invest money "at the front end" so the design met your needs and the performance needs of the area, he said.
Paying close attention to the process through contractual arrangements with builders, designers and architects as well as investing in having a building surveyor inspect the property was also important.
When it came to buying a house, protecting oneself was key. A prepurchase building inspection as well as a land and information report could help identify any problems.
The awareness campaign would be launched as soon as funding was made available, Mr Gray said.
For more information about Hobanz visit its website, www.hobanz.org.nz, or the Department of Building and Housing www.dbh.govt.nz.
