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Evidence · Home and contents insurance

Every question, every answer, every source

Explore all 372 home and contents insurance questions and the 1,476 answers saved on 11 October 2026. Read the original responses and download the tables behind the study’s comparisons, sources, sentiment and factual checks.

questions
372
answers saved, of 1488 planned
1476
consumer situations
12
named regions
16
AI platforms
4

01

Every question, with its answers

Each question went to the four AI platforms. All were collected with a New Zealand setting. Open a question to read every captured answer in full.

Showing 20 of 372 questions

Show all 372

02

The tables behind the study

Every figure on the study page comes from these tables. They are CSV files, which open in any spreadsheet.

  • Questions

    questions.csv

    One row per question, with its exact saved wording.

    Question ID, source references, question, consumer situation, named regions, question group and collection setting

    372rows

    Download questions (CSV)

  • Answers

    answers.csv

    One row per captured answer, with its full text.

    Answer ID, question ID, platform, collection setting, consumer situation, named regions and full answer

    1,476rows

    Download answers (CSV)

  • Sources by answer

    sources.csv

    One row per website recorded as a source of an answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, assistant, collection setting, website and publisher type

    9,014rows

    Download sources by answer (CSV)

  • Checks against primary sources

    checks.csv

    One row per stated assertion checked, for one platform.

    Check, question and answer IDs, assistant, exact passage, verdict, primary-source finding, URL and date

    97rows

    Download checks against primary sources (CSV)

  • Consumer recommendation coding

    consumer-recommendation-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed provider role in a consumer-selection answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, provider, role, counted recommendation, exact passage and conditions

    659rows

    Download consumer recommendation coding (CSV)

  • Consumer selection membership

    consumer-selection-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the matched consumer-selection comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, question group and full text; twelve home and twelve contents selection questions, with missing captures preserved

    94rows

    Download consumer selection membership (CSV)

  • Ongoing support coding

    support-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed named-provider role in an eligible support answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, provider, role, support-preference decision and exact passage

    75rows

    Download ongoing support coding (CSV)

  • Ongoing support membership

    support-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the actual consumer-support group.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, question group and full text; acquisition validation is excluded

    71rows

    Download ongoing support membership (CSV)

  • Regional recommendation coding

    regional-recommendation-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed provider role in a region-named selection answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, named consumer region, platform, provider, recommendation decision and exact passage

    1,017rows

    Download regional recommendation coding (CSV)

  • Regional selection membership

    regional-selection-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the matched regional comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, named consumer region, platform and equal-comparison membership; four home and three contents platform answers per region

    112rows

    Download regional selection membership (CSV)

  • Insurer sentiment

    insurer-sentiment.csv

    One row per unique saved claim about an insurer in a selection answer.

    Claim, question and answer IDs, insurer, saved stance, exact passage and original-answer offsets

    3,828rows

    Download insurer sentiment (CSV)

  • Recorded source URLs

    source-urls.csv

    One row per recorded answer, website and URL association.

    Answer ID, question ID, platform, website, URL, source records and presence in the captured answer text

    13,048rows

    Download recorded source urls (CSV)

  • Matched consumer platform membership

    platform-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the identical-question platform comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, product, consumer and platform; 22 identical questions per platform

    88rows

    Download matched consumer platform membership (CSV)

  • Matched regional platform membership

    regional-platform-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the identical-question regional platform comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, product, region and platform; 31 identical questions per platform

    124rows

    Download matched regional platform membership (CSV)

Use these tables to trace findings back to the original questions and answers. The full text of each answer is also on this page, under its question.

03

Read in full and checked

Some answers were read in detail or checked against official sources. Those appear on the study page, beside the findings they support.

ChatGPT · New Zealand

Can a NZ insurer decline home cover because of age, location or previous property damage?

Yes. In New Zealand, an insurer can generally decline to offer home insurance because of factors such as the property’s location, risk characteristics, or previous damage history. They can also charge different premiums or apply different terms based on risk. However, the situation depends on the reason and the insurer’s policies. ICNZ | Insurance Council of New Zealand

Age of the homeowner

  • Age alone is not usually a standard reason to decline home cover. Home insurers generally assess the risk of the property, not simply the age of the person applying.
  • Age may become relevant indirectly if it relates to other factors an insurer considers, but an insurer would generally need a legitimate insurance-risk reason rather than simply “you are too old”.
  • This differs from some types of insurance (such as life or travel insurance), where age can be a more direct underwriting factor.

Location of the property

  • Yes, location can be a reason to decline cover. Insurers assess risks such as flooding, landslips, earthquakes, coastal hazards, and other natural hazard exposure. A property in a higher-risk area may be declined, offered limited cover, or offered cover at a higher premium. ICNZ | Insurance Council of New Zealand
  • Recent years have seen increased attention on home insurance availability in some higher-risk areas of New Zealand. Consumer NZ

Previous property damage or claims

  • Yes, previous damage can affect whether an insurer accepts the risk.
  • You normally need to disclose relevant information, including previous claims, pre-existing damage, and known risks affecting the property. Failure to disclose material information can affect cover or claims. ICNZ | Insurance Council of New Zealand
  • A history of unresolved damage, repeated claims, earthquake/flood/land damage, or structural issues may lead an insurer to decline, exclude certain risks, request repairs first, or offer different terms. ICNZ | Insurance Council of New Zealand

If an insurer declines you

You can:

  • Ask the insurer for the reason for the decision.
  • Check whether you disclosed all relevant information accurately.
  • Try other insurers or use an insurance broker.
  • Make a complaint through the insurer’s complaints process if you believe the decision was handled unfairly. consumerprotection.govt.nz

If you mean a specific situation (for example, “I’m over 70”, “the house is in a flood/earthquake area”, or “the property had previous storm damage”), the answer can be more specific.

Ask anything

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.

Captured 11 October 2026

Gemini · New Zealand

Can a NZ insurer decline home cover because of age, location or previous property damage?

Yes, New Zealand insurers can legally decline to offer home cover (or decline to renew a policy) based on age, location, or previous property damage. Because insurance is a contract built on commercial risk assessment, private insurers have the autonomy to decide which risks they are willing to take on.

Under New Zealand law and industry standards (such as the Fair Insurance Code overseen by the Insurance Council of New Zealand), insurers rely heavily on "material information" when evaluating applications.

The factors break down as follows:

1. Location (Risk Zones)

  • Can they decline? Yes. Insurers use sophisticated mapping data to assess natural hazard risks. If a property is located in an area with a high or unmanageable risk of flooding, coastal erosion, landslips, liquefaction, or active earthquake faults, an insurer may refuse to issue a new policy.
  • Alternative outcome: Rather than an outright decline, many insurers will restrict certain types of cover (e.g., excluding flood damage), apply a much higher natural hazard excess, or charge significantly higher premiums.

2. Previous Property Damage & Claim History

  • Can they decline? Yes. Under the Fair Insurance Code, a property's history of losses—including past storm damage, flooding, landslips, fire, or frequent previous claims—is considered core material information.
  • Unrepaired damage: If a house has unrepaired damage (such as unresolved earthquake claims or storm damage from a previous event), insurers will almost universally decline to provide new cover until the damage is professionally fixed and signed off.

3. Age and Condition of the Property

  • Can they decline? Yes. The age, construction materials, and general maintenance state of a house directly affect its risk profile.
  • Maintenance vs. Age: While an insurer cannot decline cover simply because a house is old, they can decline a application or exclude coverage if an older home suffers from deferred maintenance (e.g., rotting timber, outdated and unsafe wiring, a compromised roof, or rusted plumbing). Insurers expect properties to be maintained in a sound, watertight condition.

Key Consumer Protections in NZ

While insurers have the right to decline coverage based on these factors, they must operate transparently:

  • The Duty of Disclosure: As a homeowner, you have a legal obligation to disclose all material facts honestly when applying for or renewing insurance (including age, exact location, and property history). Failing to do so can result in an insurer declining a future claim or voiding the policy entirely.
  • Dispute Resolution: If you believe an insurer has declined coverage unfairly or based on incorrect data, you can take your complaint to their internal dispute resolution process, and subsequently to an independent external scheme like the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) or Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL).
Ask Gemini

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.

Captured 11 October 2026

AI Overviews · New Zealand

Can a NZ insurer decline home cover because of age, location or previous property damage?

AI Overview

Yes, a New Zealand insurer can absolutely decline to offer home insurance cover based on the property’s age, location, or previous damage. Under current New Zealand law, private insurance companies operate on commercial risk assessments and are not legally obligated to provide coverage to every property or homeowner.

Insurers evaluate properties individually, and if a home falls outside of their designated "risk appetite," they have the right to refuse cover, impose high excesses, or add restrictive exclusions.

🏛️ 1. Property Age

Older homes—especially those built before 1935 or 1940 —face much higher scrutiny from NZ underwriters.

  • Outdated Infrastructure: Insurers routinely decline older homes if they still feature original, high-risk components like knob-and-tube or TRS (tough rubber sheathed) electrical wiring , old scrim lining, or degrading clay piping.

  • Building Standards: Homes built prior to the strict building regulations introduced after the 1935 Napier earthquake are seen as a severe seismic risk.

  • Mitigation: Insurers will often only grant cover for a historical home if the owner provides formal documentation proving the property has been fully rewired, replumbed, and structurally piled to modern standards.

📍 2. Location

NZ insurers have shifted toward highly granular, risk-based pricing and climate modeling , which has led to what is known as "insurance retreat" in certain geographic areas.

  • Natural Hazards: If a property sits in a zone highly prone to flooding, landslips, coastal erosion, or significant earthquake risks , an insurer may decline a new policy outright. Pockets within regions like Wellington (high seismic/slip risk) or low-lying coastal and flood plains across both islands face severe restrictions.

  • Council Notices: If a local council has issued a Section 72 notice (building on land subject to natural hazards) on the property's title, many mainstream insurers will automatically refuse to onboard it as a new risk.

🔨 3. Previous Property Damage

A history of unresolved or repetitive damage is a major red flag for insurance companies.

  • Unremedied Issues: If a home has active or poorly documented structural issues—such as historic Canterbury earthquake damage that was never properly signed off, or a history of multiple severe flood claims—insurers will decline cover.

  • Unconsented Work: If previous property damage was repaired via unconsented alterations or non-compliant DIY work , an insurer may refuse to cover either that specific part of the house or the entire building.

  • Non-Disclosure Risks: Property buyers must explicitly ask about past claims history. Failing to disclose known previous damage when applying for a policy is considered non-disclosure, which can cause the insurer to completely void the policy later down the line.

If you are currently looking at a property or struggling to secure a policy, let me know:

  • Is this for a house purchase or a policy renewal?

  • What specific risks (e.g., specific build year, proximity to the coast, or historic flood zone) apply to the property?

I can guide you on specific steps to take, such as setting up an insurance condition or navigating the Natural Hazards Commission (NHC) framework.

Ask anything

Captured 11 October 2026

Google AI Mode · New Zealand

Can a NZ insurer decline home cover because of age, location or previous property damage?

Yes, a New Zealand private insurer can legally decline to provide or renew home cover based on age, location, or previous property damage. In New Zealand, fire and general insurance is a commercial contract, meaning insurers are not legally required to offer a policy to every property owner who applies. They assess risk on a case-by-case basis during underwriting.

The impact of each factor on a New Zealand home insurance application includes:

  • Location: Insurers heavily weigh geographic and environmental risk. Properties located in high-risk zones—such as flood-prone plains, coastal areas vulnerable to erosion, or specific seismic fault lines—frequently face high premiums, specific policy exclusions, or outright refusal of cover by insurers re-evaluating climate and natural disaster exposure. [NZ Herald]

  • Age: Older homes (especially those predating modern seismic or building regulations) can be viewed as high-risk due to outdated plumbing, original electrical wiring, or structural materials. While many older homes are insurable, an insurer may decline standard cover if the structure is deemed poorly maintained or requires extensive safety renovations, or they may apply heavy exclusions for age-related deterioration.

  • Previous Property Damage: Unrepaired or poorly documented pre-existing damage, or a history of repeated catastrophic damage (such as properties severely affected by recent weather events or floods), makes underwriting difficult. If the damage has not been professionally remedied and verified with proper documentation (like building reports and repair invoices), insurers regularly decline to issue new cover. [Insurspy]

If you'd like, I can provide more details on:

  • How to approach insurers or brokers if you are dealing with a high-risk property.
  • What documentation is required to prove past damage has been correctly repaired.
Ask anything

Captured 11 October 2026