Julie Williams lives in her garage to ensure EQC cover. Photo / Martin Hunter
Julie Williams lives in her garage to ensure EQC cover. Photo / Martin Hunter
Leonie wrote to me of her plight and the Herald on Sunday team followed up.
Leonie and her family have done everything right. They have been badly let down.
Our councils should back their reports with their powers and financial muscle to put matters right when they get it wrong.
Either that or they should tell us that their reports aren't worth the paper they are written on and not make us get them at our expense. Likewise with consultants and their geotech reports.
Too many Kiwis have paid big money to consultants and councils getting sections and buildings checked out only to have the consultants and councils duck for cover when things go wrong.
The councils and the consultants rely on the poor homeowner not having the financial clout to take them on.
It's well past time that our Government passed simple liability rules for who pays when things go wrong. In a case like this it should be the council and the experts who provided the advice.
