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Buying or selling a home in Canterbury

If you’re interested in purchasing a home in the Canterbury region, it’s particularly important that you pay extra attention to the aspects of the home that may have outstanding damage from the Canterbury earthquake sequence.

An example of the type of damage you may wish to ask the seller about is damage to sewerage or stormwater drains. This can take years to appear but is a widespread issue in the Canterbury region.

Buying or selling a home with previous claims

When you’re buying a home, it’s important to do your research.

Our Buying and selling a home with previous claims page has all the information you need to consider when looking to buy or sell a home in Canterbury, including:

  • the information you should request
  • the difference between an EQC (now NHC) assessment and a pre-purchase inspection from a licensed building practitioner
  • section notices on the record of title
  • the process for requesting EQC (now NHC) claim documents for a property
  • the assignment or transfer of EQCover claims process

Make sure you consider any information about the property that you receive from us alongside all other information.

Not all problems are due to natural disasters — a house can have problems due to its design or maintenance, and houses also suffer from wear and tear over time. You can find out more about the common maintenance items that are often mistaken for natural disaster damage in our guide to Maintaining your home. 

 

house for sale
Buying or selling a home with previous claims
There are some steps that you should consider, including requesting claim information and assigning the rights of a claim.
Natural hazards portal claims map
Natural Hazards Portal
Aotearoa New Zealand has some unique natural hazard risks. Find out about those specific to your area and any natural hazards claims on your property.
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Request information
Learn more about requesting information including how long it might take, and the types of information we can provide.