Devastated young family seeks change to protect Kiwis let down when new builds go wrong
Devastated young family seeks change to protect Kiwis let down when new builds go wrong
OUR STORY
We are a young couple with a two-year-old child. Our family dream of building and owning a safe, dry and healthy home to live in has been shattered.
No one should have to go through what we have been through. We are petitioning for a resolution and for change.
A few years ago, we bought land in rural New Zealand that had been subdivided from a larger block. We then worked hard with other parties to have our dream house built on the land.
As it turned out, our house was built in the middle of an overland flowpath that had been missed during both the subdivision, and the consent and building stages. That means in heavy rain the property floods and our house becomes unsafe.
We are devastated.
The lack of accountability and difficulty in achieving a fair outcome should not be tolerated by New Zealanders. What if this was you, or someone you loved, left to live in fear of the next big storm?
We think there has got to be a smarter and fairer way for New Zealanders to resolve disputes over new builds.
We point to other examples where lives have been ruined by similar experiences, such as the ‘leaky building’ and Bella Vista development debacles.
WE CALL FOR:
The creation of a dispute resolution mechanism focused on ensuring new homes that are fit for purpose, compliant and conducive to healthy and happy living. There needs to be a process in place, available and readily accessible so that other people do not face what we have had to face.
This is a necessary protection as it should not be so difficult to hold Councils, builders and other parties involved with the creation of new homes to account when things go wrong.
This is a petition for change that would ensure everyone is able to resolve issues with new build dwellings – something fundamentally important, and overdue as New Zealand seeks to build its way out of a housing (supply and quality) crisis.
We ask for an effective independent body, to be funded by the Government, with jurisdiction over local councils, professional advisors and the building sector enabling binding rulings and directions to ‘put things right’.
If you sympathise with our plight... if you know of others who have faced similar nightmare scenarios... or if you simply want to ensure it doesn't happen to others... please vote for change.