Moving House?
Insurance made simple when you change homes
Congratulations! You’ve found your new dream home and the day has come for the big move to your new property. But what if something falls off the back of the truck during the move? Does your insurance still cover it? Moving house can be stressful at the best of times, so here are a few simple steps to ensure that at least your insurance is under control.
Key things you’ll learn in this article:
- House and contents insurance is linked to a specific property address, so you’ll need separate policies for your old and new homes.
- Cancel your old policy from your sale settlement date and start your new policy from your purchase settlement date.
- You can apply for insurance before your purchase becomes unconditional to help identify any issues early.
- Your contents policy includes limited cover while moving between permanent homes in New Zealand for specific insured events.
- Accidental breakage or damage during the move isn’t covered under your standard contents policy.
- Standalone contents insurance isn’t currently available, but we may be able to help with short gaps between homes.
- Responsibility for insuring the property transfers on the settlement date. The seller is responsible before settlement, and you are responsible from settlement onwards.
Firstly, it’s important to remember that your house and contents insurance cover is for a specific address. When you’re moving into a new house and have sold your old house, it’s important to note that you will need to cancel the house and contents policy for your old address and create a brand new policy for your home and contents.
Cancel the home you’ve sold from the sale settlement date and insure the new home from the purchase settlement date. Our system will automatically provide a refund for the unused portion of the cancelled policy.
The new cover will require updated details about your new address, and in some cases these may need to be reviewed by our team. It’s a good idea to apply for cover early – even before you go unconditional – so you know there won’t be any issues insuring the new property. This is especially important for homes that are older, in higher hazard zones, or have unconsented work.
What about contents during the move?
Contents in transit is usually covered by specialty insurance, but your standard owner-occupied contents policy does provide some limited cover.
With initio, your contents are covered for sudden and accidental loss from specified events while being moved from your insured home to another permanent residence in New Zealand. This cover only applies if the loss happens within your insured period.
- Fire, lightning or explosion
- Theft following violent and forceful entry to a motor vehicle or building
- Storm or flood
- Natural disaster
- Aircraft or other aerial or spatial devices, or articles dropped from them
- Impact by motor vehicle
It’s important to know this cover does not apply to accidental breakage or damage – for example, if a box is dropped, something tips over in the truck, or items shift and break in transit. We also don’t offer an option to extend the cover beyond these listed perils.
If you’re making a big move (like between cities) or have valuable items you want extra protection for, we recommend checking the wider insurance options provided by professional moving companies. These can give you peace of mind for risks outside the limited cover in your initio policy.
We’re in between homes, do you offer contents insurance by itself?
We don’t currently offer stand-alone contents insurance. Contents cover is only available when it’s paired with an active house insurance policy for the same property.
If you just need contents cover for a short time (for example, a few days between settlement dates), get in touch with our support team. In some cases, we can help with very short periods of cover.
If you don’t have plans to purchase another home right away but still need contents insurance, you’ll need to arrange this with another provider.
What if your OLD house catches fire and is destroyed on the day you move out?
In this scenario, it’s the new owner’s responsibility to ensure the address on their insurance is up to date. It aligns with the handover date on your sale agreement.
Maybe something was to happen to your NEW house before your official settlement date?
This remains the responsibility of the people you’ve bought the house from. The insurance officially becomes your responsibility from the date of your settlement agreement. You are unable to insure the home for the period prior to the settlement date. On the other hand, if something were to happen to your new house on the day of your official handover, insurance cover becomes your responsibility.
Moving house insurance timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before going unconditional | Apply for insurance on your new home |
| Before settlement | Confirm your new policy is ready |
| Settlement day | Your new policy starts and your old policy ends |
| After moving | Update any remaining details if needed |
With a self-service platform like initio, making changes to your cover is simple. Start a new policy or cancel old cover in just a few clicks.
That’s it! Just remember, the day you take over the keys is when your new house needs to be insured from.
This guide is intended to be a quick reference when moving house. We recommend reading the full policy wording for the full details of your house and contents coverage.
Frequently asked questions:
When should I insure my new house?
Your new house should be insured from your settlement date, when you become the legal owner of the property.
Am I covered if something gets broken during the move?
No. Your contents policy provides limited cover for specific insured events while moving, but it doesn’t cover accidental breakage or damage, such as dropping a box or furniture being damaged in transit.
What happens if my settlement date changes?
If your settlement date changes before your new policy starts, contact us as soon as possible so we can help update your policy start date.
Related articles
- How do I get a quote with initio?
- Why do I need house insurance?
- When do I need house insurance?
- What does initio not cover?
- Insurance for when you are buying your first house
Written by Megan Fisher. Initio’s Head of Marketing
Megan has been with initio since 2022 and creates customer-focused content that helps New Zealand homeowners and landlords understand insurance in plain English. She works closely with initio’s claims, customer support, and development teams to make sure content is accurate, useful, and easy to follow. She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and product strategy.