KEY POINTS:
Thousands of rotting homes are expected to be demolished in the next two years and one North Shore couple have just taken this rare and drastic step.
Chris and Nicky Wordsworth have demolished their decaying $310,000 house but an expert predicts many more places will quickly follow.
The Wordsworths say they are unable to seek a single cent in compensation and have cut their losses.
It only took two days in November for the disillusioned British migrants to be rid of their leaky and severely defective house in Torbay's Ashley Ave, a property QV lists as being worth $550,000: a $310,000 house now totalled standing on a $240,000 section.
Few of an estimated 80,000 leaking houses nationally have been destroyed as owners attempt repairs but even those are failing in many cases.
John Gray, president of the Homeowners and Buyers Association, said he knew of only six houses worth about $4 million in Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Wellington and Christchurch which had been razed but he expects thousands more in the next two years.
"It's going to become more common because houses which are now inside the 10-year time limit will be found to be insidiously rotting. There won't be a choice. The scope and cost of work will put owners in a position where it will be more cost-effective to demolish," said Mr Gray, whose organisation is helping 2000-plus leaky-home victims.
Thousands of houses now need such extensive repairs that owners would be forced to rebuild rather than fix, he said.
As the Wordsworths watched their house being annihilated, they felt vindicated because they saw how extensive the rot was.
Once cladding was ripped off, internal wood framing around windows and doors was black, Mrs Wordsworth said.
They were so disillusioned with the house they bought in 2006 after they left York that they have contracted G.J. Gardner to build them a new place which they hope to move into during April.
Pre-demolition, they had wasted $40,000 attempting repairs to a crumbling deck on the family house which had funnelled torrents of water directly into a daughter's bedroom during one drastic downpour.
Mrs Wordsworth was in England when she learned that so much water had poured through a light fitting that a bucket could not keep apace so a pipe was fitted to divert the downpour outside. The house was only built this decade and was fully compliant with a code compliance certificate issued by a private certifier.
"We have been to see solicitors and everywhere we turn we come to a full stop. Everyone who was involved in our house appears to have flitted the country or gone into liquidation.
"Eventually, after all the stress, we decided to just go ahead and fix the house. Once we researched it, we found that it wasn't much difference to knock it down and rebuild. To pay for some of it we have cashed in our pension and the rest will be additional to the mortgage we already have," she said.
The couple had a full builder's inspection report before buying the house as well as read-outs from moisture metres which showed no issues.
The Weathertight Homes Resolution Service offered little hope and a barrister advised the couple it would cost about $150,000 in court costs to take a case.
"Both my husband and I feel really let down by the systems in New Zealand and feel angry that no one is taking responsibility. The house was only five years old when we bought it and we had only been living in it for five months when it started to leak.
"Although we don't regret moving here, we both feel this has changed our whole lives and feel very much alone as everyone has washed their hands of the problem. Deep down I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel in relation to this mess and the more people we talk to, the better chance we have of getting ourselves heard," she said.
Mrs Wordsworth was just one of many leaky-home victims who this week contacted the Herald.
But Mr Gray said the couple could have got money had they contacted his organisation which would have charged only about $20,000 and used the Ministry of Justice's Weathertight Homes Tribunal to get compensation.
North Shore Council could well be liable, Mr Gray said, even though a private certifier was used. "Now they've demolished, it's too late."
GROWING ISSUE
Weathertight Homes Resolution Service:
* Had 5646 claims by January 4, 2009
* These were lodged on 6399 properties
* Assessments completed on 6056 places
* Eligibility of 185 claims being assessed
* Resolution being pursued on 1572 claims
* Auckland City has 966 active claims
* North Shore has 230 claims, Waitakere 353
APARTMENTS 'NO LONGER LEAKY'
Apartment owners whose places are at the heart of a leaky building court ruling are unhappy that the case has put new focus on their properties.
Matthew Darby and Daryll Hutchison own apartments at 3 Laxon Terrace, a Newmarket property developed by Greg Nielsen who the High Court at Auckland has ruled must pay $1.1 million in compensation for repairs.
But the owners said all the places were fixed and it was damaging to find them in the public spotlight.
"The buildings have now been completely repaired and they are no longer leaky homes. The repair and re-cladding was completed approximately two years ago," Mr Darby said.
"The apartments were not poorly built and it was only the weather-proofing finish which was the problem," he said.
Justice Paul Heath took a different view, describing the complex in his judgment as "poorly built. Defective building work resulted in severe water ingress. The timber framing rotted", he wrote.
Auckland City Council and Laxon Terrace's body corporate sued Nielsen, who denied liability.
