Our home and contents policies have a standard benefit which provides you with cover for temporary accommodation. This means we will pay the reasonable costs of temporary accommodation if your home becomes uninhabitable due to loss covered by your home or contents policy, or loss covered by the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) (for home cover).
We'll also pay the reasonable cost of temporary accommodation if, during your period of insurance, government or local authorities prevent you from accessing your home. This policy benefit will be available to you even if your home is otherwise safe and sanitary.
If you have a contents policy with us, this benefit also includes the reasonable cost of removing and returning your contents from storage or temporary accommodation.
I own the home I’m living in:
The most we will pay for any one event is $40,000. We’ll only pay these costs until any of the following occur:
- your home has been repaired, rebuilt, or is habitable again
- you move into another home you own
- we settle your claim
I rent the home I’m living in:
If your policy schedule shows that your contents are kept at a tenanted home, then the most we will pay for any one event is an increase above the rent you were previously paying, up to a period of four weeks. We’ll only pay these costs until any of the following occur:
- your home has been repaired, rebuilt or is habitable again
- you move into another rental property
- we settle your claim
You can find the full details of how we cover you in our policy documents here.
If you need cover beyond what our policies offer, there are agencies outside of AA Insurance who may be able to help with temporary accommodation, such as:
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have temporary accommodation services available for those who need accommodation following a natural hazard event.
- Work and Income NZ have Civil Defence Payments available for severe weather events. These payments can help cover the costs of accommodation, as well as food, bedding clothing and loss of income. Please visit their website for further information on eligibility and how to apply.