Recreational Features and Retaining Walls

Recreational Features

Recreational Features are defined as any tennis court or permanently fixed swimming pool or permanently fixed spa pool including its ancillary equipment and pump(s).

Recreational features are automatically covered by the policy, but are limited to a combined limit of $45,000 for all recreational features.

We can increase the standard limit by agreement, if you wish to increase the standard limit for any recreational feature, please request an increase by sending the details to [email protected].

---

Retaining Walls

A retaining wall is a structure that holds land in place to prevent the earth from sliding or eroding away. A retaining wall differs from a garden wall, as a garden wall is purely aesthetic and serves no purpose in protecting the structure of the land.

Retaining Walls are automatically covered by the policy with a combined limit of $25,000 for all retaining walls.

NHI (previously EQC) provide some indemnity for retaining walls and their support systems that are necessary for the support or protection of the house or insured land (including the main access way) if they are within 60 metres of the house.  For NHI claims involving damage to retaining walls, the settlement will be calculated on the basis of either the cost of repair or the ‘indemnity value’.  The indemnity value of damaged property takes into account the age and condition of the damaged structure and will likely be lower, than its replacement value.

The initio policy pays for damage to retaining walls by earthquake, volcanic eruptions, hydrothermal activity tsunami and landslip as a ‘top up’ cover.  This means that NHI will pay out the indemnity value of the damaged retaining wall and that initio covers the additional cost, up to the replacement value, limited to the specified value or the standard policy limit of $25,000 if no prior value has been agreed.

We can agree to increase the retaining wall limit for you.  To so, we will need some additional information to review the limit.  If you wish to have the limit reviewed, please provide the following information to our support team (for each retaining wall);

• Location
• Height
• Length
• Age
• Construction Type
• Current Condition
• Replacement Value (and how it was calculated)
• Details of previous losses and /or claims
• If there is shared ownership, if so, what is the ownership structure (ie cross-lease, easement)
• Confirmation that code of compliance and/or council consents have been obtained where required.

Please send the above details along with a photo, and where relevant a copy of the plans, or engineers report to [email protected].