Some Christchurch building owners say a bulldozer's the best option, despite the city council calling for government help to rebuild heritage buildings damaged by the earthquake.
People in Canterbury who own empty houses are being urged to help put a roof over the heads of homeless earthquake victims.
There's huge demand for rental properties in Canterbury with over 2000 residential homes currently uninhabitable because of the earthquake.
The Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says all but a few Cantabrians will be able to rebuild on their original properties.
The owners of more than three-thousand properties damaged by the Canterbury earthquake have been told the repair job could take nearly three years.
Christchurch owners worst affected by October's quake remain uncertain about their future, despite reassurance by the Earthquake Commission that many of the properties are safe to rebuild on.
The chief medical officer of health for the region, Dr Alistair Humphrey, says people carrying out repairs on their earthquake-stricken properties need to be wary of asbestos.
The Property Council says an ultimatum from the Christchurch City Council to owners of earthquake damaged commercial buildings will add to the stress business people are already under.
Last-minute claims for property damage caused by the Canterbury earthquake are flooding into the Earthquake Commission as the deadline looms. Homeowners have responded to an eleventh-hour hurry up, and the number of claims being lodged daily has almost quadrupled.
Canterbury people whose homes were most damaged in last month's earthquake have waited nearly seven weeks to learn the future of their properties - and now they're being told it could be another two years before their houses are rebuilt.