How FMG compares, feature by feature
If your home is uninhabitable after a claim, this pays for somewhere to live while it's fixed — but only up to a cap, and a rebuild can take a year or more.
Check your limit, and ask whether a higher-tier product lifts it.
Slow leaks behind walls are a common and expensive claim — usually capped low, if covered at all, and finding the leak often isn't covered.
Check your hidden-water sub-limit and budget for the gap; ask if a higher limit is available.
Retaining walls are costly to rebuild and usually sit under a low sub-limit, separate from the house sum insured.
If you have retaining walls, ask for the specific limit and whether a higher one is offered.
Gardens, plants, paths and driveways are usually capped well below what they'd cost to redo.
Note the cap if you have significant landscaping.
Meth clean-up is expensive; cover is capped, often carries a large excess, and can be void if you or a tenant caused it.
If you rent the property out, ask about the meth limit and excess.
Covers you if you're legally liable for injury or damage to someone else — the largest, rarest claims.
Higher is better; check yours runs to at least a few million.
Re-keying after lost or stolen keys is capped — small, but often overlooked.
Minor — just know the limit.
Natural-disaster claims (quake, storm, flood) often carry a large EXTRA excess on top of your standard one.
Find out your natural-hazard excess — here, lower is better.
Documented traps in FMG's wording
Rot, mould and slow leaks are largely excluded. The small 'hidden gradual damage' benefit that remains is capped low (often $1,000–$10,000) and won't pay to find or fix the actual leak.
Check your hidden/gradual damage limit and compare insurers (they range widely). Inspect plumbing and wet areas regularly, and act on any leak immediately to avoid it being called 'gradual'.
In FMG's own words
“We will not pay for the costs of locating or repairing the leak.”
Even with a big contents sum insured, individual categories like jewellery, cash, bicycles, cameras and drones are limited to a low per-item or per-category amount unless you specifically list them.
List (specify) high-value items on your schedule and check each category sub-limit. Keep receipts/valuations for jewellery, bikes, cameras and collections.
In FMG's own words
“We will pay up to: $5,000 for each unspecified item, or the amount shown on the certificate for that item if the item is specified.”
Even on a 'replacement' contents policy, certain items – older electronics, clothing, footwear, personal effects – are settled at present/indemnity value, not new-for-old.
Check which item categories are 'present value' in your policy and factor the depreciation in. Specify valuable older items if full-replacement cover is available.
In FMG's own words
“Your cell phones and home computers are limited to present-day value if they are more than three years old. Your personal effects are limited to present-day value.”
Claims are declined if you (or anyone covered) acted recklessly or in a grossly irresponsible/negligent way, or failed to take reasonable care.
Take obvious precautions: lock up when out, address known hazards promptly, and document that you acted reasonably. Don't assume 'accidental' always means covered.
In FMG's own words
“We will not pay any claim if you have been reckless or grossly irresponsible.”
Insured with FMG? Have your own policy read.
The free register shows how FMG compares in general. The personal scan reads your exact PDF against every insurer.
Drawn from FMG's published New Zealand policy wording held in the Inuio corpus and refreshed monthly. Limits and tiers change and vary by policy and cover level — general information to help you read your own policy, not financial advice. Always verify against your current wording.