Papanui Office T (03) 352 2293 F (03) 352 2274 485 Papanui Road, PO Box 5496 Christchurch 8542
Harmans Updates
Merry Christmas from Harmans
The partners and staff of Harmans extend their very best wishes to all client's for a Happy Christmas and a prosperous and less shaky New Year.
We hope that events on 23 December have not caused undue hardship or further damage to property.
Our office will not be fully operational until 16 January 2012 although we will have a skeleton staff on from 6 January onwards.
We hope that everyone enjoys a relaxing break with their loved ones.
High Court Requires EQC To Pay Twice
A full bench of the High Court has on Friday (2 Sept) ruled on the case between the EQC and Insurance Council and major insurers. The question for the Court was in essence whether cover under the EQC umbrella should reinstate at the full levels ($100,000 for residential homes and $20,000 for contents) between earthquakes (particularly the major ones of 4 September and 22 February).
The result determines whether EQC would be up for two payments of up to $100,000 if further damage occurred to an individual property from the second quake. Although the precise wording of the declaration to be made by the Court is still to be finalised, the Court has preferred the interpretation that requires cover to reinstate at the full level after the first event - with the result that EQC pays twice if the claim on the first exceeds the statutory level. While the impact of this decision is largely on the insurance companies - it nevertheless provides those companies with some respite in a challenging year!
New Associate
The partners of Harmans are delighted to announce that Colin Abernethy was made an Associate of the firm effective from 1 September 2011. Colin, who works in our busy Relationship Property team has been with the firm since 2007.
Assistance for CBD business owners
For advice on existing lease rights and obligations contact Alan Prescott on 021 970 237 or Brian Burke on 021 678 208
For new leases contact Alan Prescott on 021 970 237
For answers to your employment questions contact Graeme Riach on 021 240 4890
For help with business interruption insurance contact Graeme Riach on 021 240 4890 or Brian Burke on 021 678 208
Insurance Issues - Update For Red Zone Owners
Offers from the Government for the purchase of red zone properties are now being sent out to those people who completed the registration process prior to the end of July as required. With nearly one third of Kaiapoi properties being rezoned as red recently there will now be in the region of 6,000 properties in the residential red zone.
There will be two options for red zone property owners. The first option will be for the outright sale of your property to the government at its 2007 rateable value. If you accept this offer the government will take an assignment of all of your rights under any insurance claim lodged by you.
The second option will be for the sale of your land only to the government at its 2007 rateable value. If you accept this offer you will be free to continue to negotiate a settlement of the claim for damage to your home with your insurer.
A red zone settlement website has been set up and we are now able to register those who have received their offers from CERA. Two Crown Conveyancers have been appointed to represent the government and settlements will be commencing in mid September. The important thing to note is that these settlements are not going to be straightforward and no two situations will be exactly alike.
The government has also announced a contribution towards legal fees for red zone owners. For those taking option 1 the contribution to fees will be up to $750 plus GST and for those taking option 2 the contribution to fees will be up to a maximum of $500 plus GST.
We strongly recommend that you do not sign any agreement for the sale of your property or settlement of your insurance claim without first having us look over these important contracts for you. We are receiving many enquiries from clients and have achieved some excellent results. For advice on the sale of your property to the Government contact your legal representative at Harmans.
For advice on your insurance claim and options available to you contact Brent Selwyn on 021 222 4546 or Brian Burke on 021 678 208 or alternatively, both can be contacted during office hours on 352-2293. Our team at Harmans are ready to help you with the sale of your property and settlement of your insurance claim and we look forward to hearing from you.
Asset Protection and Estate Planning Seminars
Protecting your assets has always been a topical issue and perhaps never more so as people see how easily hard earned assets can be lost through a business failure brought about by no fault of their own. Such has been the level of inquiry that Harmans are holding a regular series of seminars on estate planning and asset protection.
The seminars cover all aspects of asset protection including the importance of Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney, different ownership structures and in particular, the use of discretionary family trusts as a part of an estate plan. The first such seminar was a full house and because of demand we will be running further seminars.
The next seminar is to be held at The George at 7.30 pm on Wednesday the 7th of September, 2011 and in order to reserve your seat you should call Jenny or Carol on 352-2293. Demand is high and places are limited so we recommend that you book your place at this event as soon as possible.
Earthquake Articles
For a full range of Canterbury Earthquake articles click on the following links
Note : For CBD business owners, we will provide a free initial 30 minute consultation.
Latest Harmans News
The partners of Harmans were sad to hear the recent news that our home of over 20 years, the PriceWaterhouseCoopers Building is to be demolished.
However we are operating from our Papanui offices. Contact details are as follows:
Physical address:485 Papanui Road
Postal address:PO Box 5496, Papanui
Telephone:(03) 352 2293
Fax:(03) 352 2274
These premises are in a low rise office block with dedicated client parking clearly marked behind the building or on adjacent streets, Bellevue Avenue and Wyndham Street.
All of Harmans email addresses are working as normal, as are all telephone numbers (including direct dials), and fax numbers including those from our city office which have been diverted to Papanui.
Harmans Lawyers is a Christchurch law firm with a long and proud history, offering a full range of legal services.
If you are looking for a Christchurch Solicitor we can provide advice and representation on a range of legal matters including business, company and commercial law; banking and finance including debt recovery; conveyancing, subdivisions and development, and other property related law; dispute resolution; elderly services; employment; family and relationship law; franchising and hospitality; resource management; rural and agricultural law; and trusts, estate planning and administration and asset protection.
