Auckland ratepayers may face years of rates rises to pay for Auckland’s liability for leaky homes. Six Auckland councils have agreed to participate in the Government’s leaky homes package, with councils and the Government each paying 25 percent of repair costs and homeowners the rest. The councils will merge on Monday when the super city [...]

Does a leaky homes that has been re mediated return back to 100% of its value once work has been completed? The short answer is”No”. A recent Property Institute Of New Zealand conference indicated that reductions in value ranged between 5% and 15%, with free standing homes reclad in weatherboard tending to be at the [...]

The cost of the leaky building crisis has grown so “ginormous” that the Government has almost despaired of finding a solution, says the minister in charge. Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson told the Weekend Herald the official $11 billion figure – which experts believe is half the true cost – was about what the [...]

Opinion – David Tilson Is the new leaky home “stigma claim” realistic? On Tuesday a law firm – newly-formed specialist leaky-building practice Hoskins Thorn – filed on behalf of the owners in a central Auckland property – an $11.7 million leaky building claim, incorporating a “stigma claim,” in the High Court at Auckland  -  against [...]

The government has abandoned leaky homes victims on the eve of Christmas after cynically promising in opposition they would fix this national disaster, North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams said today. “Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson is trying to blame local government and others for his own inability to reach a rescue package deal.  The [...]

Herald commentator Brian Rudman has come out in heavy support of Mayor Andrew William’s stance on the leaky home scandal. Mr Rudman said Mr Williams reaction to the Government 10%  “take or leave it” offer “derisory” – and he’s dead right. “Mayor Williams says the [Mayoral Forum] talks broke down after he said the miserly [...]

In an exclusive interview with North Shore Community Radio, leaky home owner Wilma White explained the battle over their Whangaparaoa home that nearly ruined them and what others might learn from the debacle. “It seems so very wrong that a High Court appeal is the only recourse available. Any family that has been through a [...]

Auckland could gain a new $3 billion-plus Waitemata Harbour crossing – tunnels or a longer bridge – within 15 years if Transport Minister Steven Joyce’s programme is followed, leaky home owners will be so relieved! He raised that possibility yesterday after the Transport Agency confirmed engineering advice that the existing bridge’s two-lane northbound clip-on may [...]

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams says the government needs to do more than 10% if there is going to be a solution to the leaky homes problem Mayor Williams compared the problem to that of a national disaster and that governements have spent far more money on less important projects in the past. “We are [...]

The six Mayors representing those councils most affected by the leaky homes catastrophe, are meeting today to come up with a response to the central government’s proposed solution to the problem. Under the proposed plan, owners who drop legal action against their council can settle for approximately 30% of the cost of repairs. The Government [...]