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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
We have included here some FAQ's that may assist you with your own queries relating to Home Sum Insured Services. If your question is not here, no problem, contact us and we will be more than willing to assist.
Do you only estimate the cost of my house, what about my outbuildings?
All of your assets on your legal plot are assessed and valued as part of our service. We allow for primary dwelling and all outbuildings, hard and soft landscaping, retaining walls, boundary fencing, and any other item of cost interest on your lot. We also allow for demolition costs , professional fees, consent fees and inflation based on a total loss ocurring on the lat day ofd insurance cover, with allowances for the estimated length of rebuild after that date.
My home is in a Flood Management Area, does your report allow for this?
Yes our reports do. We research a number of factors that may affect the cost of rebuilding your home, to account for matters that will affect it rebuild costs based on regulatory and guideline principles current at the date of the reports issuance.
Does your report provide me with the current value of my home, as I'm looking to sell?
No it will not. The cost of rebuilding your home and its current market value have no direct link. If you require your properties current market value we can assist you, but this is a different service not to be confused with a home sum insured rebuild estimate.
I have a dispute with my insurer over the value of my earthquake claim, can I submit your report to them as an independent QS Review?
No, this is not the intention of the home sum insured service. The Home Sum Insured (HSI) reports are not designed to support disputes with your insurer over earthquakes claims. HSI reports accrue for costs at a point in the future based on policy wording as of 01 July 2013, whereas Independent QS reviews of Insurance Settlement offers deal with entitlements due based on insurance policy wordings that form the contract between insurer and homeowner. There are many factors at play in this scenario. We are able to assist you with Insurance dispute issues via our holding company Aotearoa Quantity Surveying Limited, please contact us for a more detailed discussion, our principal has been involved in over 10,000 Canterbury EQ insurance claims covering domestic and commerical premises.
Does your report identify if my property is located on contaminated land?
Yes, as of September 2014, one of the checks undertaken as part of your rebuild estimate is to check whether your legal plot has contaminated land issues. This however is just a check, your policy will outline whether you will be covered for any future remediation. Generally, insurers do not insure land, but this information will enable you to understand any potential issues with the land on your legal plot, which are likely to be recorded on your property LIM.
Why do other providers charge less?
As with all goods and services, there are differing levels of quality. We believe we offer a competitive fee based on our qualifications and ability to provide the service. We cannot and will not compete with unqualified individuals, or inexperienced individual/companies. We recommed you do your homework. Check the owners of the business - how many years experience do they have and what qualifications do they have? Don't be afraid to ask for samples of work - whilst you may not get actual reports due to Privacy Act issues, you should be able to get pro forma templates to provide an indication of the quality of the deliverable to be expected. Any company or indiviudual that refuses this request should be treated with caution.
I'm in a Technical Land Category and don't have a geotechnical report, how do I know you can estimate the foundation costs correctly?
Over the last three years we have developed sophisticated cost modelling software aimed at providing answers for this specific subject in Canterbury. We have the ability to cross check geotechnical data in proximity to dwellings and process accurate estimates based on certain key criteria associated with the ground conditions. This ability is exclusive to Aotearoa Quantity Surveying.