Widow can't afford loan for water damage repairs

Joy Greer reported her leaky home problems three years ago and is still waiting for action. Picture / Dean Purcell.

Three years after taking her claim to the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service, Joy Greer is still waiting and her home is still rotting.

In January 2001, the recently widowed mother of three was looking for a low-maintenance home and, after a pre-purchase inspection, snapped up a three-bedroom house in Green Bay.

But when, in the winter of 2003, she pulled a computer out from the wall to vacuum, she noticed the carpet was damp. Further investigation revealed damage in her youngest son's bedroom and her bedroom, which is above the kitchen.

She suspects damp and mould are the cause of her children's chronic respiratory conditions, chest infections and lethargy, and she is suffering from the stress of suing the architect, builder, the Auckland City Council and pre-purchase inspector so she can get her home repaired.

Mortgage-free when she bought, she has had to take out a mortgage to fight her case. As a single-income earner, she says she cannot afford a bank loan to repair her home.

Her WHRS assessor estimates repairs will cost around $50,000, but an independent surveyor puts the bill at $200,000.

Mrs Greer is reluctant to discuss details after agreeing to confidential mediation but the Herald understands mediation last month failed. Why has it taken so long?

She waited nine months to get her home assessed because of a shortage of trained WHRS assessors. Identifying the liable parties and getting the records she needed took another year.

"I remember at one point an official telling me 'it's in your interest to find these people' but then saying he wasn't allowed to share the information."

She says she is pleased reforms announced yesterday will speed up the process for others.