Kaz Mach is still awaiting repairs to his home after the hail storms in December. 77591 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By LAURA WAKELY
THE CEILING is missing, roof exposed, carpets ripped out, walls buckled and covered in cracks, the back patio is riddled with holes and the concrete is clean white where balls of hail have smashed to the ground.
This is the home of Kaz and Halina Mach in Taylors Lakes, two months on from the wild weather that damaged their house on Christmas Day last year.
The couple have been living out of home since that day, firstly with family then in accommodation provided by their insurance agency.
Ms Mach said they got the call their house was in trouble while sharing Christmas lunch at their son’s house.
Entering through the garage, they saw nothing out of the ordinary, but when they entered the house water was leaking through the ceiling.
“We heard a noise… and the ceiling fell down,” Ms Mach said.
A week of cleaning followed with three-hour phone calls to insurance agencies trying to get the repairs underway.
Last week workers finally arrived to begin repairing the roof after a long and stressful wait.
“Now it’s two months you have to stop crying. Insurance is so slow. We’re happy because we’re getting the roof now but there’s so much more to be done,” Ms Mach said.
Murray Morgan, who worked in the insurance industry for almost 50 years before retiring in 2010, has been helping others deal with the companies.
Mr Morgan said there has been homes where insurers assure people they will repair everything, only to turn up days later with a contract for paint jobs only, while in other cases the damage has been underquoted, leading to weeks of negotiation for the repairs to be carried out.
Mr Mach, who built the house, said it would be eight months until he and his wife could live there again.
