Railway Estate resident Sarah Little finally settles with CommInsure 14 months after Townsville floods

Showering in her garden for the last 14 months will soon be a thing of the past for a Railway Estate resident.

Railway Estate resident Sarah Little has been showering in her garden since the floods as her insurance company refused to pay her out because of historic termite damage at her house. After 14 months of fighting she has finally settled with the insurance for $210,000. PICTURE: MATT TAYLOR.

A win after a 14-month fight against her home insurer means Sarah Little will no longer have to shower in her garden.

The Railway Estate resident’s three bedroom home had 20cm of water sweep through the ground floor in the 2019 flood.

Ms Little’s bathroom, laundry and living room were rendered unusable and she had been locked in a bitter feud with her insurer, CommInsure over the payout.

While Ms Little had been negotiating with CommInsure, she had been forced to use a portable bathroom in her backyard.

Ms Little who bought the home in November 2017 said she had become accustomed to her living conditions.

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“It has just become a way of life having my bathroom outside,” she said.

“My neighbours have seen me in my birthday suit a couple of times.”

After initially receiving an insufficient offer of $71,000 from the insurer last June, CommInsure finally agreed to pay Ms Little $210,000 last week to fix her home.

Ms Little said the win was a weight off her shoulders.

“I cried. It was an emotional relief because I had to fight for 14 months to have the settlement signed off,” she said.

“It could have been resolved a lot quicker. I had the cost repair breakdown report stating the figure in October 2019.”

Repairs are due to start on the house in four weeks and are expected to take five months to complete.

The musician is technically homeless during construction and will probably “couch surf” between her mum and friends’ homes.

When asked how she felt about the battle, Ms Little said she was always going to fight for her rights.

“I am stubborn. I was never going to back down and I was never going to stop fighting because I knew what was right and what was wrong,” she said.

Originally published as Railway Estate resident Sarah Little finally settles with CommInsure 14 months after Townsville floods