How State 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.
Re-keying after lost or stolen keys is capped — small, but often overlooked.
Minor — just know the limit.
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.
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 State's wording
Sum-insured (capped) policies pay out only up to the dollar figure on your schedule. If that figure is too low to actually rebuild your home or replace your contents, you cover the difference yourself.
Use a professional rebuild calculator or get a registered valuer/quantity surveyor estimate, and review your sum insured every renewal so it reflects current build costs including demolition and fees.
In State's own words
“Unless this policy specifically states otherwise in another section, the most we'll pay in total for any event, is the sum insured that is shown on the schedule.”
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 State's own words
“The most we'll pay during an annual period is $2,500.”
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 State's own words
“Money and vouchers: for all money, vouchers that can be redeemed for cash, bullion, unset precious stones, credit cards or stamps that are not part of a collection $500 in total”
If nobody sleeps in your home for a set number of consecutive days (60–90 depending on insurer), cover is stripped back to only a few named perils – and an extra excess applies.
Tell your insurer before the home will be empty beyond the limit (often 60 days) and ask about unoccupied cover. Have someone stay overnight periodically or arrange specific vacant-home cover.
In State's own words
“If you or a person authorised by you has not been living at the home for a period of more than 60 consecutive days, we'll only pay for loss that is: 1. caused by fire, explosion or lightning, or 2. covered under 'Natural disaster'”
Retaining walls, paths, pools, bridges and similar features are capped well below their real replacement cost – and often carry an extra natural-hazard excess.
Find the retaining-wall and 'recreational features' sub-limits on your schedule, get a rough replacement cost, and ask to increase the limit if your walls or features are valuable.
In State's own words
“within the home sum insured, the most we'll pay in total for any event that occurs during the period of cover for loss to: a. all retaining walls is $20,000”
When a damaged home is sold or you choose not to rebuild, settlement drops to the difference in market value before and after the loss, not the cost to rebuild.
Understand that full replacement cover usually requires you to actually rebuild or repair. If you may sell instead, ask your insurer what you'd receive before deciding.
In State's own words
“the difference between the market value of your home immediately before and immediately after the loss, plus Demolition and Removal Costs we determine are necessary”
Landlord policies require you to select tenants carefully and inspect the property inside and out at set intervals (e.g. every 3–6 months). Miss this and cover can be affected.
Diarise inspections at the required interval, do them at every tenant change, and keep dated written/photographic records to prove compliance.
In State's own words
“You, or the person who manages the tenancy on your behalf, must: 1. exercise reasonable care in the selection of tenant(s)... 4. complete an internal and external inspection of the home at a minimum of 3 monthly intervals”
Methamphetamine contamination cover is capped (e.g. $30,000–$50,000), carries a large dedicated excess (often $2,500), and is excluded entirely if you or your family caused the contamination.
For rental properties, inspect regularly and test between tenants. Know your meth cap and excess, and keep evidence you weren't the source.
In State's own words
“An excess of $2,500 per contamination claim applies per residential dwelling shown on the schedule as covered by this policy.”
“You're not covered for any contamination damage that is caused or contributed to, directly or indirectly, by or in connection with you, or your partner or any member of your or their family.”
Where damage isn't covered by the government natural-hazard scheme (EQC/NHCover) – for example certain structures – the insurer adds an extra excess, often $5,000, on top of any standard excess.
Read the natural-hazard/EQC excess section of your policy and budget for a $5,000+ excess. Ask your insurer exactly which parts of your property attract the higher excess.
In State's own words
“Where your claim for loss to the home under this benefit is for, or includes, any part of the home that is not covered under the EQC Act, then the excess will be the higher of: a. $5,000, and b. the excess otherwise applicable”
When you first take out a policy, natural-event losses (storm, flood, landslip, bushfire, volcanic, tsunami) are excluded for the first 48 to 72 hours – and some insurers exclude an already-named cyclone entirely.
Arrange cover well before any forecast severe weather. Don't leave switching or buying insurance until a storm is imminent.
In State's own words
“When you first take out this policy, you're not covered for any loss caused by a storm, flood or landslip that happens during the first 48-hours.”
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 State's own words
“The items we cover for present value are: books, clothing and footwear, audio, video and optical storage media... computer hardware that's more than 5 years old...”
If your home is uninhabitable, the policy pays your alternative accommodation only up to a fixed cap. After a major disaster, rebuilds can take years and the cap is quickly exhausted.
Check your temporary-accommodation/alternative-accommodation limit and whether it's a dollar cap or time-limited. Ask if a higher limit is available if you live in a high-hazard area.
In State's own words
“The most we'll pay is $20,000 per residential dwelling shown on the schedule as covered by this policy for any event or contamination claim.”
Policies exclude the cost of repairing, stabilising or supporting the land itself – even where it's needed before your home can be rebuilt.
Understand the government natural-hazard land cover and its limits, and be aware land stabilisation is largely your cost. Factor site risk into buying decisions.
In State's own words
“We won't pay for any costs that are incurred for: ... b. stabilising, supporting or restoring land, earth, or fill”
Contents used to earn income or for business are excluded beyond a small 'home office' benefit, and home-business activity can void wider cover.
If you earn income from home, tell your insurer and arrange proper business cover. Don't assume home contents cover extends to work equipment or stock.
In State's own words
“You're not covered for contents used at any time for earning income, except for cover detailed under 'Home office' on page 5.”
Insured with State? Have your own policy read.
The free register shows how State compares in general. The personal scan reads your exact PDF against every insurer.
Drawn from State'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.