Hailstorm Roofs Still Leaking
Sun Herald
Sunday April 9, 2000
WITH just five days to the anniversary of Australia's worst hailstorm, 72 people, unhappy with payouts from insurance companies, are demanding more cash.
Another 60 people have lodged complaints with the Department of Fair Trading over shoddy repairs to properties and cars.
Steve Psomadelis had to contact the Department of Fair Trading when water continued to pour through the roofs of his four properties in Kensington, one of Sydney's worst-hit suburbs, months after the storm.
He said one of his tenants, a mother of three young children, received an electric shock only two weeks ago when water leaked from the roof, saturating the meter panel.
Mr Psomadelis said: ``I remember the night of the storm so clearly. I heard the noise and I was scared. But I didn't want to lose my tenants so I rushed out to try to fix things.
``The next day I tried to get repairs done straight away."
The tiles on the four roofs were repaired within a week of the storm but a year on, they still leak after heavy rain. The retired father of three believes the roofs need to be replaced, not just repaired.
He said: ``I just followed the roofers' advice. They were the experts. But all they did was just glue the tiles. Now my houses are a mess and I don't know what to do."
``The insurance company says I shouldn't have handed over the money if I wasn't happy with the work. I just hope the Department of Fair Trading will see that things aren't good enough here."
Mr Psomadelis had a mild stroke a few days after the hailstorm, caused, he thinks, by stress.
A total of 20,590 houses were damaged on the night of Wednesday, April 14, with 100 of them still needing repairs. Some are waiting on local councils to approve major renovations. A shortage of imported tiles and disputes with insurance agencies are also being blamed for delays.
Preparations for the Olympics and the rush to beat the GST have led to a shortage of labour and building supplies.
There were 61,682 claims for damages to cars with 10 per cent still on a waiting list for repairs.
The total damage bill, with more than 112,000 insurance claims, amounts to $1.7 billion.
VILLAGE PUTS A ROOF ON SYDNEY: Page 57.
© 2000 Sun Herald
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