How MAS will manage your claim on behalf of EQC

Our priority is to make your claims experience as seamless as possible and support you through the process. There are some slight differences to our normal claims process, so we’ve outlined the approach below:

  1. MAS has appointed assessors who will assess any Kaikoura Earthquake damage to your building as per the requirements under the EQC Act. We will also let you know of any damage not covered under the EQC Act as your MAS policy may still provide cover. If you have recently lodged your claim with us, it is likely to take a few working days for an assessor to contact you.  They will arrange an assessment date and time convenient to you, and you may find it helpful to be on site with them as complete their assessment.
  2. MAS will provide you with a scope of the repairs and an assessment of repair costs using independent building experts. We expect this part of the process to take 6-8 weeks after the assessor has visited.
    In some circumstances EQC may choose to manage your claim instead of MAS.  Examples of this might be if you have an existing claim, or if land or retaining wall damage is identified.  We will notify you if we are advised that EQC wish to manage your claim.
  3. When you agree to the scope and assessment of repair costs we will arrange to pay you by way of cash settlement (or your mortgage holder depending on the costs involved).  You are then free to engage suppliers of your choice for the rebuild or repair work. 

Please note: When your claim is settled, and your rebuild or repair gets underway, keep invoices and any other records to show that you have used your cash settlement to pay for repair or rebuild work. This safeguards you. Your EQC cover could be affected in the future if you don’t use your cash settlement to repair or rebuild your damaged property. You should also talk to your bank if there is a delay, as uncompleted repairs may affect your mortgage.

Below is a link to a useful booklets designed to help you plan and manage the rebuild or repair of your home.

Rebuild with confidence -  A guide for homeowners rebuilding after the Hurunui/Kaikoura Earthquake

Excess for EQC Claims 

  1. The EQC excess will be applicable on all EQC claims. This is a minimum of $200 or 1% of the combined claim value of your house and contents.
  2. If you have a land claim, including retaining walls, the excess is a minimum of $500 or 10% of the claim, limited to a maximum of $5,000.

What else does your MAS Policy Cover? 

  1. For over-cap claims (more than $100,000+GST for property and more than $20,000+GST for contents), the balance of the claim will be settled by MAS in accordance with your policy wording.
  2. Your MAS policy will cover some damages outside of the cover provided by the EQC Act, including (but not limited to) swimming pools, fences, paving, retaining walls and driveways.

Excess for MAS Policy Claims 

MAS will not charge an excess on your domestic insurance policies, unless you have a voluntary or imposed excess in place. Business and commercial risk policies will continue to have the natural disaster excess applied.

We're here to help 

If you have any questions, please call us on 0800 800 627 or email us. 

While we will be most able to assist during business hours (8.00am to 5.30pm), please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time that suits you.