Your policy decides when the home is unoccupied
There is no single time limit you can safely apply to every New Zealand house policy. Some wordings count consecutive days, while others focus on whether anyone is regularly living or sleeping at the address. Ask your insurer for the definition, start date and limit that apply to your home.
Contact the insurer before you move out, even if settlement is close. Consumer Protection recommends checking what the policy covers, what it excludes and what information you must give the insurer. Ask for any changed cover, premium, excess or conditions in writing.
Questions to ask your insurer
- How does this policy define vacant and unoccupied?
- On what date would the unoccupied period begin?
- How long can the home be empty under the current policy?
- Will cover, premium, excess or claim limits change?
- How often must someone inspect the property?
- What inspection record or photographs should be kept?
- Must water, power, heating or alarms remain on or be turned off?
- Are there lawn, mail, rubbish, maintenance or security conditions?
- Are theft, malicious damage, water damage and glass still covered?
- Does contents cover change after belongings are removed?
- What happens if the sale or settlement date is delayed?
- When should the policy be cancelled or transferred?
Turn the insurer's conditions into a visit routine
Your insurer may require recorded inspections, locked doors and windows, working alarms, cleared mail, maintained grounds, prompt repairs or particular steps for water and power. The exact requirements come from the policy and any written endorsement, not a generic vacancy checklist.
Give one trusted person the written list. Keep a dated log of every visit, with photographs of the rooms, exterior and anything repaired. Redirect the mail, secure outbuildings and move spare keys from obvious places. Avoid announcing publicly that nobody is living there.
Do not cancel cover just because the agreement is unconditional
Match the insurance end date to your actual responsibilities under the sale and purchase agreement. Settled explains that the buyer usually receives the keys after settlement is completed. Ask your lawyer what your agreement requires, then have the insurer confirm the final date and time of cover.
If you have already moved, give the insurer both addresses
Set out the old and new addresses, settlement dates, moving date and any belongings left behind. Confirm which house and contents are insured at each stage. If settlement shifts or the old home is damaged, update the insurer immediately and ask your lawyer how the event affects the sale.
Natural-hazard cover is tied to eligible private insurance. NHC Toka Tū Ake says NHCover generally applies when a residential building has a current private policy that includes fire cover. Confirm the private policy remains effective for the empty home and dates involved.
Keep the house looking cared for
Collect mail, maintain lawns and exterior areas, secure sheds and arrange prompt attention to leaks or storm damage. Photograph rooms, meter readings and the exterior when you leave. These practical steps do not replace the policy conditions, but they make the home easier to monitor and give you a clear record if something changes.
If vacancy is only one part of a complicated move, work through the wider moving-house insurance guide too. It covers the handover between addresses, belongings in transit and storage.
Put it beside your dates
Add insurance checks to your private preparation plan.
The dated checklist already prompts you to contact the insurer before moving and to confirm cover for both homes, belongings, storage and any unoccupied period.
Frequently asked questions
Is 60 days a universal NZ insurance rule?
No. Do not plan around a commonly quoted number. The binding definition and limit are in your policy and any written change agreed with your insurer.
Does a weekly visit guarantee cover?
No. Visits may be one condition, but your policy may also require security, maintenance, utilities or other steps. Ask the insurer to confirm every requirement in writing.
Can staging furniture make a house occupied?
Do not assume so. Furniture and occupation are different questions. Ask the insurer how it classifies the home when nobody regularly lives or sleeps there.
Should I hide that the home is empty?
Not from your insurer. Disclose the situation accurately. For public security, avoid broadcasting vacancy and agree safe viewing, key and access processes with the agent.
Official sources
Reviewed 15 August 2026. Policy definitions, time limits and conditions differ. Your insurer's current written policy and endorsement control your cover.
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