Leaky home financial assistance package "waste of time"

In a bid to prevent the passing of legislation that will potentially destroy the lives ofthousands of New Zealanders, advocate for leaky home owners Steven McAneney hasextended a plea to all home owners to stop the Financial Assistance Package (FAP) billfor leaky home owners in its tracks.

“The bill is a complete waste of time” says McAneney, who runs a website for leakyhome owners.

“It is also a travesty of justice. Rather than looking after home owners,the Government is looking after its money-laundering councils who have been doing ashoddy job and charging like wounded bulls for their services. Think about it. Themoney they (councils) have earned from issuing dodgy building consents and carryingout shonky inspections is then used to build our parks and repair footpaths. How morallycorrect is that?”

McAneney’s appeal to stop the bill is in response to ratepayer complaints that theyshould not have to foot the bill for leaky homes.

In regions particularly hard hit by theproblem such as Auckland, there is a risk of rates going up as Councils are sued fortheir role in the leaky home saga, unless the FAP bill is passed which caps theircontribution to 25% of the repair cost.

The passing of the bill may temporarily delay a rates increase, but it will also pass onthe brunt of the repair costs to leaky home owners according to McAneney.

This is evenmore unfair than ratepayers sharing the cost, as it was ratepayers as a whole who votedin each council, not individual home owners.

“Why should a small group of home owners pay for the incompetence of councils? If wedon’t make them pay for their mistakes, will they ever change the way they do things?”

McAneney has written an analysis of the FAP bill which he has placed on his website leakyhomeforum.co.nz.

He urges all New Zealand home owners to take control of theirfinancial future and send submissions to the Government voicing their opinions before the February 18 deadline