Information, support and assistance

On this page:

See our Support and Assistance page for all support and assistance information.

 

Interim land use in the residential red zone

Interim use of residential red zone land must be related to the demolition and clearance process.

For more information on this please email info@cera.govt.nz or call 0800 RING CERA (0800 7464 2372).

 

New resource to assist Cantabrians with their financial issues

Understanding Your Financial Situation and Options - after the Canterbury earthquakes [PDF 865KB] is a new booklet from the Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income. This follows the Red Zone Financial Decision Guide [PDF 480KB] launched in October 2011 for red zone residents.

The new booklet is designed to help earthquake-affected Canterbury residents clarify and manage their financial situations. The tailored information will help residents work through their financial options, and it provides them with tools, information and quick tips from experts to help them manage. It also gives guidance about who to talk to and where to get financial advice.

Find out more about the new booklet.

Both booklets are available from CERA earthquake assistance centres at Avondale and Kaiapoi and other government agencies and community organisations in Canterbury as well as online at www.sorted.org.nz/canterbury

 

Free professional financial advice for Canterbury residents

The free financial advice service, established by the Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income in February 2012 to assist red zone residents, has now been extended to provide all Canterbury residents affected by the earthquakes access to one-on-one financial advice.

The free advice is provided by a group of experienced, local professional advisers who are donating their time. They’re all Authorised Financial Advisers and are from a number of well-known and reputable organisations. They are not there to sell people products and there is no cost to residents who seek advice

Read more about the free financial advice service here.

Residents can make an appointment to see a financial adviser by contacting the CERA Avondale Earthquake Assistance Centre on 0800 7464 2372 or Kaiapoi Earthquake Hub on 0800 639 000.

Visit www.sorted.org.nz/canterbury for further information.

 

Information for lawyers

The scale of the residential red zone transaction is unprecedented and the objective is to give worst affected property owners certainty sooner.

Lawyers have a key role if this is to be achieved.

Settlements database

All lawyers who are or will be acting for vendors of residential red zone properties must use the CERA settlements database to complete transactions.

The database has been established to streamline the transaction process and contains all the relevant information about properties in the red zone, including rating valuations and insurance details.

It also contains copies of the Agreements for Sale and Purchase, related documentation and information to assist lawyers with the preparation, submission and settlement of sale agreements.

If your law firm did not pre-register for a login for the settlements database, please contact Anna Harris at anna.harris@buddlefindlay.com

Buddle Findlay has been appointed as a crown conveyancer for this transaction and in this role will be responsible for managing initial access to the database.

If you are a lawyer and require assistance with processing properties through the database please call 0800 650 007.

For technical difficulties with the database please call the database helpline on (09) 355 0717.

 

Survey of Future Housing Needs and Intentions of Residential Red Zone Residents

In October 2011, independent research company Nielsen carried out a survey of the housing needs and intentions of residential red zone property owners.

The survey has provided CERA with some of the key information we need to further help people to recover from the effect of being displaced from their earthquake damaged homes or land.

To protect individuals’ privacy, the findings are not reported in a way that will allow individual respondents or their responses to be identified.

 

Rateable valuations

Find out your property's RV (rateable valuation) online:

 

Questions and answers

See our Frequently Asked Questions for answers to questions about the offer, the purchase price, insurance, EQC, unit title properties, on the move, your neighbourhood.

 

Glossary

Agreement for Sale and Purchase - the agreement that you and the Crown will sign to record the terms on which you have agreed to sell your property to the Crown.

CERA - Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority

Cross lease - where, on one land title, there are several flats/houses that are each owned by a different person and together all those different persons own the land that the flats/houses are on; and they each lease the land that their own flat/house is on from all the other owners.

Crown - The Government

EQC - Earthquake Commission

Insurer - the insurance company that your house is insured with.

Settlement date - the date under Option 1 and Option 2 on which: You or your tenants must be out of the property. The Crown will make the final payment to you for your property. The Crown will become the owner of your property.

Tenancies - where people have a right to occupy a property (whether exclusively or otherwise) and pay some form of rent.

Unit title - where a dwelling owned by an individual that is part of a community of individuals (known as a body corporate) where each individual owns a unit and the community together owns the common property.