Temporary accommodation cover

Start with the reason you cannot stay at home

Insurance is a contract for specific events and losses. Consumer Protection explains that products and levels of protection differ, and that policyholders need to give complete, current information when circumstances change or a claim is made. Read the accommodation benefit beside the insured event, exclusions and claim conditions rather than relying on the benefit name alone.

A planned gap between settlement dates is usually a moving-budget question, not proof of an insured loss. Selling first, waiting for a suitable home, arranging delayed possession or renovating before moving in does not by itself establish a claim. Put accommodation, storage, travel, pet care, utilities, a bond and a possible second move into your own figures. Our moving-house insurance guide can help you map the policies and dates that need checking.

If damage or an official restriction is involved, describe the exact facts to the insurer and ask which clause it is considering. Do not assume that an accepted building-damage claim automatically accepts every accommodation cost, or that a restriction without physical damage triggers the same cover.

Let the policy define “uninhabitable”

There is no useful shortcut that applies to every policy. The insurer will consider the damage, whether the claim is accepted and the wording of your cover. Ask what facts it needs about safety, security, water, electricity, cooking, bathrooms and sleeping arrangements. A damaged room does not necessarily mean the whole home qualifies.

Expect limits around both time and money

A benefit may have a maximum amount, a maximum period or both. It may not include meals, travel, utilities, internet, letting fees, a bond or every pet cost. Ask whether the insurer books and pays, reimburses approved costs, or expects you to continue contributing your normal housing expense. Keep written approval and receipts, but do not treat either as a guarantee beyond the policy limit.

Confirm whether the limit is one total for the household or separate by policy, person or address. If both house and contents policies mention accommodation, ask the insurer how they interact rather than adding the figures together yourself. Also ask what happens when repairs are delayed for reasons outside your control.

Renters need their own policy check

A landlord's building policy does not insure a tenant's belongings. Tenancy Services recommends that tenants insure their contents and consider personal-liability cover. If your contents policy includes temporary accommodation, ask exactly who and what it covers while the rental home cannot be occupied.

Natural-hazard damage has another layer. NHC Toka Tū Ake describes NHCover as the first layer of insurance for eligible home and residential-land damage when the home policy includes fire cover. Its public overview is not an accommodation approval. Ask the private insurer handling the claim whether a separate accommodation benefit responds and which policy terms apply.

Match the booking to the approved claim

Before paying a non-refundable deposit, record the claim number, approved occupants, property type, location, start date, nightly or weekly amount and who can extend the stay. If the insurer uses a booking provider, ask whether arranging the property yourself changes reimbursement.

Keep the tenancy or accommodation agreement, invoices, receipts and written approvals together. Report changes such as a return home, a different property or a longer repair programme promptly. If the accommodation is a residential tenancy, read its actual agreement and deal with bond, notice and utilities as housing obligations, not assumed claim extras.

Plan for the point when the benefit stops

Ask for the remaining dollar and time limit, the current repair estimate and the review process. Compare those figures with accommodation, storage, travel and the housing costs you must keep paying. Before signing a fixed booking, check cancellation terms and decide who carries the cost if repairs finish early or run late.

Build a fallback for at least the first period beyond the confirmed benefit. That could mean a shorter initial booking, a break clause or a separate reserve. If the damaged or sold property will sit empty, also check the policy-specific issues in our vacant-home insurance guide.

Frequently asked questions