Initio Blog

What is a Gradual Damage claim?

Your initio home insurance policy covers sudden, accidental damage to your home. An insurance policy is designed to help you recover from unexpected losses that can not be prevented.  It is not a maintenance contract, and is not designed to cover wear and tear. With any insurance policy there are… Learn more

Cyclone Fehi

A severe weather watch has been in place for much of the country as Cyclone Fehi wreaks havoc.  If you are affected by flooding and damage, please follow these steps for managing your loss. Secure your property Take care of yourself and your property to prevent further loss or damage. Learn more

Stormy Weather

Once again wild weather is storming up and down the country. As the water damage claims start flooding into the initio team, it seems like a good time to give you some tips on managing storm damage. Secure your property Take care of yourself and your property to prevent further… Learn more

Congratulations Frank Risk Management!

Another well-earned award Last night our friends and colleagues at Frank Risk were recognised with the Australia New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) Small-Medium Broking Company of the Year Award. This is the second year in a row they have won the award. Frank Risk Management is… Learn more

Understanding what is Landlord Insurance?

Landlord, or Rental Property Insurance is an insurance policy that specifically covers the property owner (Landlord) for their Rental Home and some of the risks associated with being a landlord. Owning and insuring a rental property is a bit different from owning and insuring your  own home. That’s why it’s… Learn more

How does an excess work?

Insurance is full of jargon, and one piece of jargon that we use often is ‘excess’. Insurers assume that their clients know what an excess is and how it works. This article will give you a clearer understanding of excesses. What is an Excess? An excess is the contribution that you… Learn more

How to claim on your insurance

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you had a claim on your property? At initio we have compiled a step by step guide to help you navigate making a claim. Step 1. Secure your Property Take care of yourself and your property to prevent further loss… Learn more

Contents Cover Explained

When you insure your Holiday Home or Own Home with initio you have choices when it comes to your Contents Insurance. You can choose how much cover (your sum insured) and which type of cover – Replacement Value or Present Day Value. After reading this, you will understand the differences… Learn more

Top tips to protect your rental house from fire

With Winter well and truly upon us, the heaters have come out. Not surprisingly most residential house fires occur during winter. Kitchen fires make up about a quarter of all house fires – they commonly start from unattended cooking and can quickly spread. As a landlord there are steps you… Learn more

Top 5 things to check for in your Landlord Insurance policy

As a landlord, the risks to which you are exposed are often not covered by a standard insurance policy. When taking this next step on the property ladder it is important to have the right Landlord Insurance cover in place to save yourself from headaches down the track. Does your… Learn more

What are the consequences of meth in rental properties?

Andrew King, of the New Zealand Property Investors Federation, has written a common sense article on the consequences of meth in rental properties.  The consequences of Meth in rental properties has been escalating over the last few years. Fortunately it isn’t the actual health consequences of meth in rentals (except… Learn more

Deferring property maintenance will cost you more

While keeping yields high on your rental property is generally the objective, as a landlord it’s important to keep up with maintenance as deferring it can end up costing you a lot more. The added benefit is that well maintained properties are less likely to suffer weather and fire related… Learn more

Levies on the increase

Double whammy on levies Did you know that a large portion of your house insurance premium goes to the government in levies? For the average initio house insurance policy sold through our site www.initio.co.nz, over a THIRD of the cost to the home owner is… Learn more

Landlords Insurance Q & A

What you need to know about insuring your investment property. Recently we were approached by the Auckland Property Investors Association to do a brief Q&A on landlords insurance, and some of the risks that landlords face in the modern market. You can find some of the common questions and answers… Learn more

Insurance in 2017

2016 in review: With 2016 gone and everyone returning from the beach, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the events of the past 12 months and provide an update on changes to the insurance market for 2017. 2016 saw a large rise in the prevalence of meth contamination… Learn more

Insurance or maintenance?

Knowing just how far the cover goes is one of the most important things to consider with insurance. Knowing what can and can’t be covered means you can better prepare and plan for the unforeseen. In general, insurance is there to protect you from the unforeseeable events beyond your control. Learn more

The best ways to save on insurance

At Initio we’ve worked hard to have some of best rates in the market for rental property and holiday home insurance. As well as offering competitive pricing, the cover is tailored to tenanted properties so that you can be sure to have the correct amount of cover. There have been… Learn more

Choosing the right tenant for your property

Choosing the right tenant for your property Choosing who you have living in your property can be one of the most stressful parts of being a landlord. Your property may have  lot of your own time, effort, and finance in to getting your property just right, and having a “bad… Learn more

Insure your own home with initio

More options online with Initio Here at Initio, we’re all about making insurance affordable and easy to manage, which is why you can now insure your own home and contents online with Initio! This is an exclusive offer, only available to customers of Initio who currently insure their Rental Property(s)… Learn more

Tips to help protect your Rental Property

Being a landlord comes with unique benefits and advantages. However, there are also risks with having tenants or guests stay in your property. To best protect yourself and your property, it’s important to know where to look and who to trust. In most cases, you can learn the most from… Learn more

Landmark Court ruling means landlords (and their insurers) cannot recover damage costs from tenants

A landmark Court of Appeal ruling means landlords are now unable to recover the cost of any damage accidentally caused by tenants AMI Insurance had been attempting to recover a $216,413.28 repair bill since March 2009, after a house it had insured was gutted by fire when a pot of… Learn more

P Lab Contamination could rival leaky homes losses

The New Zealand Herald has recently put the spotlight on a major issue affecting houses all over the country, P Labs. Homeowners are forking out millions of dollars to decontaminate P-riddled properties in a crisis that could rival the leaky homes disaster. In the worst cases, contaminated houses are destroyed. Learn more

Replacement Contents cover now available

Initio is pleased to announce that replacement contents insurance cover is available online.  This means NEW for OLD replacement of your property’s contents.   When you use our quote calculator to obtain a premium for your property you will also be given the choice of increasing your contents insurance cover… Learn more

Improving Holiday Home & Rental Property Security

Burglary prevention is as equally important for holiday homeowners and landlords, as it is for one’s own personal residence.  Burglary is not just about having your contents stolen; there is also the damage that thieves can cause trying to gain access to the property. Holiday homes are particularly vulnerable as… Learn more

Protect your property, don't forget to check your Smoke Alarms

Its that time of year again. The clocks have been moved forward and we are now closer to summer.  If you have a holiday home its important that you protect everyone who may stay by maintaining your smoke alarms. 1.  Clean smoke alarms to ensure they are free from dust… Learn more

Check your replacement sum insured .. its important

Its been almost a year since our rental property insurance and holiday home insurance policies started converting from an open ended cover based on size to a specified replacement sum insured.  A year on we continue to stress the importance of insuring rental properties and holiday homes correctly. In the… Learn more

Leaving the Bach? Have you turned off the water?

Identifying and eliminating risks in your holiday home is important for the ongoing enjoyment of your property. In 2013 the biggest cause of loss in holiday homes for Initio was water damage. This occurred in a number of cases where leaking or burst pipes caused significant damage while properties where… Learn more

Initio features in New Zealand property investor magazine

Yet again initio.co.nz has featured in the New Zealand Property Investor Magazine.   The magazine produces an annual rental property insurance comparison.  A table in the magazine compares providers of rental property insurance; among other things comparison is made against 1.  Landlord insurance extensions such as malicious damage, loss or… Learn more

Landlord Insurance - initio features in NZ property investor magazine

Initio recently featured in the New Zealand Property investor magazine.  Our policy and pricing was compared to all the mainstream insurance providers…. the result …. Initio provides some of the best landlord insurance cover in New Zealand.  The initio policy extensions provide our clients with robust landlord insurance cover. As… Learn more

Non town water properties can now be insured online

Rental properties not on non town water (bore water, trickle feed, tank water, all of the above) can now be insured online through initio. If this is you just click ‘No’ to the town water question on the quote calculator.  Initio insurance just keeps getting better.  Providing you quick and… Learn more