Christchurch red zone residents who meet specific criteria can seek an extension of up to six months to the settlement date for their Crown offer.
The announcement by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority on Tuesday comes after some red zone homeowners told Radio New Zealand this week they had not been informed about the possibility of an extension.
The authority's chief executive, Roger Sutton, says strict criteria will apply.
These include whether obstacles property owners may have in settling are beyond their control, and their particular health or age-related vulnerabilities.
Mr Sutton says while requests for extensions up to 31 January 2014 are being considered, owners must continue to work towards their originally agreed settlement date.
The extension applies to properties on flat land only.
Land in the Port Hills is still subject to a zoning review process. Until decisions are made in regard to the overall zoning of land in that area, the potential for settlement extensions cannot be considered.
