Family of seven's home left uninhabitable as insurer worsens damage

A Queensland family are living in an overcrowded caravan and shed, after insurance provider Suncorp exacerbated damage in their home, initially caused by a leak. John Balzan and his family are waiting for remediation work to begin on their home after Suncorp exacerbated a plumbing issue. ( ABC News: Jasmine Hines ) A family of seven are living in an overcrowded caravan and shed after insurance provider Suncorp exacerbated damage in their home.

What started as a leaking toilet has turned into a mould disaster after proper remediation was delayed for months. The Balzan family's five children, including one-year-old daughter, have not slept in their bedrooms since October last year and have no indication of when the rectifications will start. "Ten months into this claim and we're still living like this and we have uncertainty because we've never been told of when or how long this claim would take, said the father, John Balzan.

John and Lani Balzan say delays with this claim have caused major stress on their family. ( ABC News: Jasmine Hines ) In September last year the Balzans' property in the rural Queensland town of Wurdong Heights experienced an accidental leak from one of the toilets, leading to sewage water spreading to multiple rooms in the house. The Balzans notified their insurer immediately, with Suncorp estimating remediation to be completed by the end of October.

But delays by Suncorp's contractors meant repair work did not properly start for months as mould rapidly grew throughout the home and contents. When the contractors did address the contents in November, cross-contamination occurred as they placed contaminated items into initially non-contaminated rooms. The Balzan family have been sleeping in a shed and caravan since October last year as they wait for Suncorp to begin remediation work on their home.

( ABC News: Jasmine Hines ) "We just don't know what to do … we are trying to get answers, and [Suncorp] just blow us off, like we're just nothing, Mr Balzan said. In a statement to the ABC a spokesperson for Suncorp said: "We acknowledge this has been an extremely difficult and distressing situation for the Balzan family. "This is a complex claim, and we are continuing to work with the family to complete the restoration and repair works as a matter of urgency, the statement said.

In February this year Suncorp apologised to the Balzan family, admitting the insurer was responsible for the secondary damage caused to the family home and their contents inside. John Balzan says it is difficult to find accommodation in rural Queensland that will house his family of seven, with limited contents. ( ABC News: Jasmine Hines ) In a letter to John Balzan and his wife Lani, Suncorp said it acknowledged "the initial restoration process for your claim could have been managed more effectively".

"Additionally, unaffected contents should have been stored externally, rather than in the living room, to prevent cross-contamination. The Balzan family cannot return to their home until Suncorp fixes the damage. ( ABC News: Jasmine Hines ) Lani Balzan, who is a renowned Indigenous artist, said $480,000 worth of her artwork was damaged due to the delays.

"It's hard to even put in words because with my art. It's not just something that looks beautiful and pretty or someone appreciates. It's part of who I am, my identity and my culture, she said.

The family said contractors were instructed to dispose of the artworks into a skip bin without acknowledging or respecting appropriate cultural practices. "So we kept them back and disposed of them properly in a cultural way back on Country so that they weren't just thrown in landfill, she said. Lani Balzan is a renowned Indigenous artist and says $480,000 worth of work has been damaged caused by insurer delays.

( Supplied: Lani Balzan ) A spokesperson for Suncorp said: "It is not our policy to remove contents without a customer's approval and our process supports restoration solutions where possible. In emails to the family, Suncorp confirmed its contractors were responsible for the secondary damage destroying the majority of contents in the Balzans' home. The Balzans provided the insurer with a detailed replacement schedule of all their contents impacted by the damage, but the claim is yet to be settled, with Suncorp telling them a specialist team is considering it.

Contents inside the home have been destroyed. ( ABC News: Jasmine Hines ) Prue Monument from the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) said insurers must take responsibility for damage caused to a customer's home, no matter if it was caused by a stakeholder they employed.