Highly rated
Cove
Underwritten by Vero Insurance New Zealand Limited
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Holiday home and bach insurance
An ordinary house policy assumes somebody is living in the house. A bach spends most of the year empty, which is the whole reason a separate product exists.
What this cover is for
A holiday home policy covers the building and the things around it, much like a house policy. What it adds is cover while nobody is there.
That matters because most standard house policies cut cover back once a home has been empty for a set number of days in a row. A bach would cross that line every winter.
Letting it out changes things again. Even occasional paying guests can put a property outside a normal holiday home policy, so it is worth saying so when you get a quote.
Who sells house insurance in New Zealand
Every brand you can buy cover from here.
Highly rated
AA Insurance
Carries its own risk
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AMI
Underwritten by IAG New Zealand Limited
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FMG
Carries its own risk
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Initio
Underwritten by NZI, a business division of IAG New Zealand Limited
Get Quote Goes to Initio
MAS
Carries its own risk
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NZI
Underwritten by IAG New Zealand Limited
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State
Underwritten by IAG New Zealand Limited
Get Quote Goes to State
Tower
Carries its own risk
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Trade Me Insurance
Underwritten by Tower Limited
Get Quote Goes to Trade Me Insurance
Vero
Carries its own risk
Get Quote Goes to Vero
Ratings are curated from a number of sources, including Google, Feefo and Trustpilot. They may not be completely up to date. They measure what reviewers said about dealing with a company, which is not the same thing as what its policy covers, and a brand shown as not rated is one we hold no reviews for rather than one that scored badly.
Highly rated rows appear first and are marked. Every other brand is listed alphabetically. Nothing in this table is ordered by how good the cover is, and no figure here is our assessment of any insurer.
The other half
What holiday home and bach insurance does not cover
Every description of cover has two halves, and the second one is where claims are lost. These are the exclusions that come up most often on this kind of policy. They are general to the product rather than specific to any insurer, and the wording issued with a policy is what settles a claim.
Income from letting it out, unless the policy was written knowing that happens
Damage caused by a paying guest, under most standard wordings
Slow damage that went unnoticed because nobody was there
This page is short on purpose
We are writing the full version. We would rather publish one useful answer now than leave a link that goes nowhere.
FAQ
Holiday home and bach insurance questions
Can I use a normal house policy for a bach?
Usually not well. Standard house policies limit cover once a home has been empty for a set number of consecutive days, and a bach commonly passes that. Insurers write a holiday home product for exactly this reason.
What happens if I rent my bach out on a short-stay site?
It changes the risk and often the product. Paying guests are treated differently from family and friends, and some holiday home policies exclude them. Telling the insurer before you list it is what keeps the cover intact.