Claims basics

Claims - what is and isn't covered?

Here’s a simple list of losses that are and aren’t covered by Initio’s home and contents insurance policies. Note this is not an exhaustive list but some of our more popular claims. Please refer to our full policy for more details. Covered: ✅   Car crashes into front fence. ✅ … Learn more

How to claim for accidental damage

Accidental damage is irksome, someone or something has damaged your property and it needs to be made right.  Don’t worry, that’s what you’ve got home and contents insurance for and we’re here to help. IMPORTANT: If your house is unsecured, unsafe or vulnerable to more damage, get a professional to… Learn more

Understanding insurance fraud and its consequences

Insurance is about gathering money from premiums to help people who have losses covered by their policy. When fraud happens, there’s less money to go around. This makes premiums more expensive for everyone. Insurance fraud may appear to be a shortcut for quick financial gain, but the… Learn more

Is Tree damage covered by my insurance?

It can be common to claim for fallen trees and branches after a severe weather event, for the damage caused to houses and guttering, fences, cars and neighbouring properties. In general, a home insurance policy doesn’t cover trees themselves; but you may be covered if a fallen tree… Learn more

Does Initio Insurance provide cover for damage caused by pets?

Your policy will cover you for sudden and accidental damage caused by a pet. The main areas to consider in regards to any claim for pet damage. The damage must relate to a “sudden” and “accidental” event.  For example, if your tenant’s dog… Learn more

Can more than one excess apply to a claim?

There can be unfortunate scenarios where you may have to pay your excess more than once when you make a single house insurance claim. We try to make insurance transparent for everyone, but there are insurance conventions that we have to work with.  Applying an excess per incident can… Learn more

How to claim for water damage

If you have home and contents insurance with Initio and your home suffers water damage, here’s what you need to do: Get the water turned off or at least isolate the leak to stop water flowing to it. You might need to get a plumber to do this for… Learn more

Is the cause of damage covered?

The source or cause of damage to the home is not always covered by a house insurance policy. Insurance is designed to cover the result of something going wrong, but not the cause of damage itself. For example, an old pipe decays and eventually bursts, causing water damage to… Learn more

Is my water damage Sudden or Hidden Gradual damage?

Gradual water damage claims are not always straightforward. Home insurance protects you from sudden damage like a burst water pipe. But gradual damage over time generally isn’t covered. There’s an exception to this. Most house insurance policies in New Zealand have a extension for Hidden Gradual Water Damage. However,… Learn more

Do I have glass cover?

There’s broken glass cover under all our house policies. Windscreen and glass damage can also be covered on your car. The excess that applies depends on the policy that’s in place. Home Insurance – Owner Occupied/Usual Residence (Own Home policy) Our home insurance cover has a lower $250 excess for… Learn more

How do I make a claim?

Making a claim is easy. All our claims are lodged online via your dashboard login. A Make a Claim option appears on the right hand side menu of each policy. Select this then follow the prompts that appear to complete the questions. Once you lodge your claim our… Learn more