A Cairns family has been living in a camper trailer as a battle with their home insurance company stretches on months after their house was ruined in the December floods.
Natalie and Luke Turner, and their teenage children Jai and Isabella, have been camping in their Yorkeys Knob backyard for the past two months.
Showering out in the open, cooking in their garage and sleeping on camp stretchers, Ms Turner said it had been a “horrific” experience with no clear end in sight.
“It’s been devastating. It’s affected our mental health and well-being immensely,” she said.
“We have an unforeseen amount of time that we will be living here.
“At this stage we haven’t even got a confirmed scope of works… building hasn’t started for us, there’s nothing.”
Like other flood-impacted residents in the northern beaches, Ms Turner has called out Sure Insurance for lowball quotes to repair their home.
Natalie Turner’s Yorkeys Knob home was severely damaged by floodwaters in December, leaving her living in a camper trailer in her backyard with her two teenagers Isabella Turner, 15, and Jai Turner, 18, her husband Luke. Picture: Brendan Radke
She said the company quoted repairs at about $97,000 and later $122,000 – far less than a $207,000 quote the family sourced from a private local builder.
“It has been significantly low and a lot of items and shortcuts have been taken. They’re not coming to the party,” she said.
“We’ve provided them with an honest quote from a private local builder which they’ve totally dismissed.
“It’s devastating… leaves us feeling very exposed, very vulnerable.”
A Sure Insurance spokesperson said “pre-existing damage and significant maintenance issues” had been found on the Turner’s property, particularly on the roof, which Sure Insurance believed led to water ingress.
A flood event in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Jasper in December hit the Cairns northern beaches hard. PICTURE: JUSTIN BRIERTY
Ms Turner denied these claims and said the damage and persistent mold was caused by 0.7m of floodwater that ran through their home from the ground.
The company also claims the private quote the Turners have sourced includes “various property improvements” as well as repairs not caused by the flood.
Ms Turner told the family are not after extra upgrades to their home, just a fair fix and an end in sight.
“We were halfway through restoring our bathroom and hallway (prior to the flood) so the bathroom was stripped. “We are not asking for anything to do with the bathroom,” she said.
“The problem with our situation is, the further we wait, the more of a bank up of builders and tradespeople therefore we’re at the back of the line.
“It’s just a waiting game for us.”
Natalie Turner continues to negotiate with their home insurance company for repair works to start. Picture: Brendan Radke
Ms Turner said the emergency accommodation they were offered would have drained their entitlements within weeks.
“For 28 days, one of them was $12,900 – significantly out of our price range,” she said.
“If we accepted that we would have been homeless within two months.”
After securing their own temporary rental for their first two months of homelessness, the family said they were left with no option but to take their remaining temporary accommodation benefits as a cash payment.
“Our only option was to get ourselves a trailer and move into our backyard,” Ms Turner said.
The Barron River in Cairns, Far North Queensland, reached a record flood peak, with roads closed and homes flooded in the catchment area on December 17. Picture: Brendan Radke
Sure Insurance has since appointed an engineering consultant VA Sciences to examine the home, while Ms Turner has raised the matter with the Ombudsman.
The company has finalized more than 30 per cent of all cyclone and flood claims lodged, paying out more than $27m to customers, a Sure Insurance spokesperson said.
“We have completed more than 90 per cent of all home restorations and are now well advanced with progress on household reinstatement works,” he said.
“Unfortunately, two cyclones in close succession have complicated settling claims.”
What issues are you still facing after the December flood? Let us know: [email protected]
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