Rental Property Insurance
Standard home and contents policies are written for owner-occupiers, not tenanted properties. Landlord insurance is arranged for the risks specific to renting a property out, including loss of rent and damage caused by tenants.
How the cover actually works.
Cover for the building itself, alongside or instead of a standard home policy
Loss of rent if the property becomes uninhabitable after an insured event
Malicious or intentional damage caused by tenants, which standard home policies often exclude
Landlord contents cover for items you supply, like a stove, carpet or blinds
This page is for you if…
Owners of a single rental property or a small portfolio
Landlords who manage the tenancy themselves rather than through a property manager
Anyone whose only cover so far has been an owner-occupier home policy
Property investors adding to their portfolio
Two ways to get landlord insurance sorted.
Going it alone
You compare policy wording and exclusions yourself, insurer by insurer.
No one flags it when your circumstances change and your cover no longer fits.
If a claim is ever declined, you deal with the insurer directly.
The cheapest premium today isn't checked against what it actually covers.
With a Smiths adviser
We compare landlord insurance across the providers we work with, in plain English.
We review your cover again as your circumstances change, not just once at the start.
If you ever need to claim, we deal with the insurer on your behalf.
You get one recommendation based on your situation, not a single insurer's product.
Talk to an adviser about this.
Thirty minutes with a licensed Smiths adviser, no obligation. Leave your details and we'll be in touch, usually within one working day.
Full audit of your existing cover, fund, and policy wordings
Comparison across the providers we work with
A clear written recommendation in plain English
Implementation paperwork handled by us, not you
Why this is easier with an adviser.
Arrange landlord cover through Aon Insurance Brokers, sized to how the property is actually used
Check whether loss-of-rent cover matches how long it could realistically take to find a new tenant
Make sure tenant-damage and malicious-damage cover isn't quietly excluded
Review cover each time your rental situation changes, not just at renewal
The providers we work with for this cover.
Landlord insurance
Our advice covers the providers shown here, not every insurer or KiwiSaver provider in New Zealand. The panel can change, and we'll always confirm it when we give you advice.
Common questions about landlord insurance.
Most standard home policies are written for owner-occupiers and can exclude or limit cover once a property is tenanted. Landlord insurance is built for that situation specifically.
Loss-of-rent cover responds when the property can't be lived in after an insured event, such as fire or flood damage. It isn't the same as cover for a tenant simply not paying.
Malicious and intentional tenant damage is one of the main gaps landlord cover is designed to close, since it's often excluded or limited under a standard home policy.
Each property is assessed on its own, but where you hold more than one, we can look at arranging them together so the overall programme is easier to manage.
Other services in this area.
Talk to the team.
Book a free review with Craig, Guy or Henry. No fees, and we're there if you ever need to claim.