Start with the reason you cannot stay at home
Temporary-accommodation cover is normally tied to an event insured by your house or contents policy, not simply to needing somewhere else to live. Consumer Protection advises checking the policy wording, exclusions and claim requirements rather than relying on a general description of cover. Its New Zealand insurance guidance also recommends contacting the insurer as soon as possible and keeping evidence of the loss.
A planned gap between settlement dates is a moving cost. Selling first, waiting for a suitable home or renovating before moving in does not by itself create an insurance claim. Put accommodation, storage, travel, pet care, utilities, a bond and a second move into your budget. Our moving-house insurance guide can help you map the policies and dates that need checking.
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.
Questions to ask before booking
- What exact event or authority direction triggers the benefit?
- Has the insurer accepted the relevant claim?
- Must the insurer approve the accommodation first?
- Who is covered, including children and domestic pets?
- What nightly, weekly, total-dollar or time limit applies?
- Must the accommodation be a similar standard to the home?
- Will the insurer pay directly or reimburse receipts?
- Do normal rent or mortgage costs affect the payment?
- Are moving and temporary storage costs included?
- Are meals, utilities, internet, travel or letting fees excluded?
- What happens if repairs take longer than the benefit lasts?
- What updates and evidence must be supplied during the claim?
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 or every pet cost. Ask whether the insurer books and pays, reimburses approved costs, or expects you to contribute your normal housing expense. Keep written approval and receipts, but do not treat either as a guarantee beyond the policy limit.
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 cover has a separate role. NHC Toka Tū Ake states that NHCover does not cover consequential loss, including temporary accommodation. Any accommodation benefit would need to come from another part of your private cover, subject to that policy.
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. If your property will sit empty, also check the separate issues in our vacant-home insurance guide.
Separate insurance from planning
Put a planned accommodation gap into your move figures.
The move planner compares sell-first, aligned-settlement and buy-first routes. Add temporary accommodation and storage to your own budget instead of treating them as assumed insurance benefits.
Frequently asked questions
Can I book first and tell the insurer later?
That can put reimbursement at risk. Contact the insurer first where it is safe and practical, obtain claim and accommodation approval, and ask what evidence and receipts are required.
Will insurance pay for a nicer or larger property?
Do not assume so. Ask what standard the insurer will approve and how the booking fits within the policy's financial and time limits.
Are pets included?
Some policies may cover reasonable rehousing of domestic pets. Ask which animals, costs and accommodation types are accepted before booking.
Is an access ban enough even if the house is undamaged?
Some policies may respond to a government or local-authority direction, while others require physical insured damage. The policy and insurer decision control.
Official sources
Reviewed 15 August 2026. Benefits, triggers, limits, exclusions and payment processes differ between policies.
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