Many New Zealanders have been affected by landslides following the recent severe weather events.

This can be devastating for the home owners involved. There is no play book for what to do next and most people do not know where to turn for legal advice or assistance.

Grimshaw and Co has been meeting with affected home owners and providing legal advice. Our objective is to help owners take control of the situation they face and move forward in a clear direction. The matters we advise on include:

• What to do about red stickers

• Your rights and obligations with respect to the damaged land

• How to put yourself in the strongest position to negotiate with insurers/EQC, Councils and other property owners

• Any claims that may arise from the landslides

• Expert engineers who can assist

• How groups of owners affected by large landslides can effectively organise groups to lobby authorities and formulate solutions

• The possibility of Government/Council buy-outs

• The obligations of bodies corporate under the Unit Titles Act