increase font size
The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman has issued advice for those impacted by flooding.
As storms and flooding continue to batter the East Coast, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman has issued advice for those impacted and looking to claim with their insurer.
“After the severe weather subsides and people have ensured the safety of themselves and their whānau, many will face the daunting task of cleaning up the damage,” says Karen Stevens, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman.
“There are a few things that we recommend people do if they are planning on making an insurance claim,” Stevens told Rural News.
She says that before any clean up, a list along with photographs and/or videos needs to be made of damaged items.
“They should mark and photograph the highest point of the flooding, and if their property was damaged in an earlier flooding event, they should record the new damage.”
Stevens says people impacted by the storm should contact their insurers as soon as possible and ask what their policy covers and what they need to do to make a claim.
“If they can’t stay in their home, they should talk to their insurer about whether they have an allowance for temporary accommodation.”
She says insurers will be busy, so if you can’t get through by phone, an online claim form is normally available.
“If they have a broker or adviser, they should start the process with them,” she says.
As New Zealand experiences more frequent and severe flooding events, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is urging consumers to be honest and accurate when making insurance claims for flood damage.
Following heavy rain which caused flooding in parts of Nelson-Tasman and sewerage overflows in Marlborough, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is urging homeowners and tenants to be cautious when cleaning up and to take the right steps to support claims.
2025 marks 120 years of FMG Advice and Insurance in New Zealand's rural communities.
The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) received a record number of enquiries in the past year - close to 5,000, a 21% increase on the previous year.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has announced that it will lead a national effort to increase the number of New Zealanders trained to care for and handle companion animals during civil defence emergencies.
The Government is set to announce two new acts to replace the contentious Resource Management Act (RMA) with the Prime Minister hinting that consents required by farmers could reduce by 46%.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be “a really dumb move”.
The University of Waikato has broken ground on its new medical school building.
Undoubtedly the doyen of rural culture, always with a wry smile, our favourite ginger ninja, Te Radar, in conjunction with his wife Ruth Spencer, has recently released an enchanting, yet educational read centred around rural New Zealand in one hundred objects.
Farmers are being urged to keep on top of measures to control Cysticerus ovis - or sheep measles - following a spike in infection rates.
The avocado industry is facing an extremely challenging season with all parts of the supply chain, especially growers, being warned to prepare for any eventuality.
OPINION: Your old mate welcomes the proposed changes to local government but notes it drew responses that ranged from the reasonable…
OPINION: A press release from the oxygen thieves running the hot air symposium on climate change, known as COP30, grabbed your…
