Highly rated
Cove
Underwritten by Vero Insurance New Zealand Limited
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Landlord insurance, what it adds
A house with tenants in it is a different risk, so insurers write a different product for it. Most of what landlord cover adds sits on top of an ordinary house policy.
What this cover is for
Landlord insurance covers the building the same way a house policy does. On top of that it adds the parts that only matter when someone else lives there.
The main one is loss of rent. If damage makes the house unliveable, the policy pays the rent you would have received while it is fixed. Note what that does not do. It does not cover a tenant who simply stops paying.
Damage caused on purpose by a tenant, and methamphetamine contamination, are usually sold as paid extras rather than included. Where a house is let furnished, the furnishings are often covered at second-hand value rather than replaced new.
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
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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
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Tower
Carries its own risk
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Trade Me Insurance
Underwritten by Tower Limited
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Vero
Carries its own risk
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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 landlord 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.
Rent a tenant just stops paying. That is a different product
The tenantβs own belongings
Ordinary wear and tear between tenancies
Damage while the house sits empty longer than the policy allows
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
Landlord insurance questions
Do I need landlord insurance if I rent out my house?
A house policy written for a home you live in is not designed for a tenanted property, and cover can be affected if the insurer was never told. Insurers sell a separate landlord product for this. Telling your insurer that the house is rented out is what keeps the cover working.
Does landlord insurance cover unpaid rent?
Usually not. Loss of rent cover responds when damage makes the house unliveable, not when a tenant falls behind. Cover for rent arrears is a separate product again, and not every insurer offers it.
Is meth contamination included?
Often it is a paid extra rather than part of the standard cover, and it sits under its own limit. Some insurers include it, some sell it separately, and some leave it out. The policy document is where the answer is.