That's the advice from two leaky building experts who say victims should move swiftly to fix their places and claim the money later.
John Gray, head of the Leaky Homes Action Group, said the worst course of action claimantscould take was to seek compensation first, without knowing the full extent of problems.
One of the biggest traps people fell into was to have reports done on weathertightness issues and then claim, because people did not know the full extent of problems, often hidden behind walls, he said.
"The only true way you'll know what it will cost to have your place fixed is to go ahead and have it fixed, then claim later," Mr Gray said.
He deals with thousands of leaky home victims and said many were unaware of how to handle the process.
He cited one large Auckland multi-unit property whose owners were initially delighted when they won millions of dollars to fix it. But now repair works are almost complete, they are devastated. The scope of repairs was much larger than first thought and they are now $2 million short of the full cost.
And Philip O'Sullivan of building consultancy Prendos said fixing first and claiming later allowed victims to establish the full extent of damage.
"That's something which no survey can ever achieve. Often other faults are discovered during repair which can be added to the claim, although structural faults can't be added to a Weathertight Homes Resolution Service claim," he said.
"Fixing a place provides the best evidence in terms of damage and causation and it reduces uncertainty. The cost of repair is a known amount rather than an estimate. Owners can get on with their lives.
"The main disadvantage to fixing first and claiming later is the person's inability to fund the repairs and then any legal action," Mr O'Sullivan said.
But Mr Gray said loans to fix houses were readily available from most banks, which had a vested interest in them being fixed.
