Government revamps EQC Act in bid to speed up claims process

  • 20/03/2018
The Government announced the changes to the EQC Act on Tuesday.
The Government announced the changes to the EQC Act on Tuesday. Photo credit: Getty

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) Act is getting a revamp, in an effort to increase the maximum payout and give people more time to lodge their claims. 

The Government has announced the changes to simplify and speed up the claims process, and resolve issues identified by the Ombudsman. 

This includes increasing the cap limit on EQC residential building cover from $100,000 to $150,000.

It also enables EQC to accept claims for up to two years after a natural disaster, instead of the current three-month time limit, and removes EQC insurance cover for contents.

EQC Minister Megan Woods has not ruled out future changes, saying more amendments may be on the way.

The changes will come into effect by July next year.

Newshub.