MARTIN DE RUYTER/STUFF
Homeowners who have been unable to live in their red or yellow-stickered homes for over 30 days can apply for rates relief.
Owners of red and yellow-stickered homes could qualify for rates relief, the council says.
Affected home-owners who have not been able to access their home for 30 or more days thanks to the floods and landslides can apply for a rates remission under a Nelson City Council policy for land affected by “natural calamity”.
Mayor Rachel Reese said in a statement that the remissions would help to relieve the financial burden of not being able to live at home.
“The impact from this natural disaster has been felt widely, but none so much as by those who are still unable to live in their homes,” she said.
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“Our priority remains to ensure all those who are able to return to their houses are being assisted to do so safely, but where that is still not possible, we are providing some financial relief where we can.”
The remissions are granted on a case-by-case basis, with four potential ways to qualify. Those who meet the criteria for rates relief will receive remissions for all services that cannot be used in an uninhabitable building, including water and wastewater services.
The council said a “conservative estimate” for the maximum remission for the 2022-2023 financial year of $1,240 per household including GST.
For those who do not qualify for rates remissions, the mayor encouraged applying to the mayoral relief fund. Applications to the fund can be accessed via the council’s Shape Nelson website.
“We do not need to know the exact cost of the damage, we just need to know how you have been affected and what would be of use to you,” Reese said.
ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff
Mayor Rachel Reese and minister for emergency management Kieran McAnulty visiting affected residents in the midst of extreme weather in August. Reese encourages all who face financial hardship to apply to the relief fund.
“We want to be able to offer financial help now, as we know there are many in our community who are under strain from the ongoing effects of the weather event.”
The Nelson Tasman Mayoral Relief Fund is available for anyone who is experiencing financial hardship, for example struggling to keep on top of bills or essentials like grocery shopping, or who have an extra financial burden (including loss of income) thanks to the floods or landslides.
The city council said Quotable Valuation would also be reviewing affected properties and potentially making adjustments to land values, which would take effect from July 1 next year.
