New Zealand Rental Insurance Records: What to Keep in 2026
A New Zealand landlord guide to insurance statements, policy changes, tenant requests, damage evidence, excess calculations, claims, and records for 2026.
Part of the Rental Rule Changes Watch 2026 series.
A New Zealand rental insurance file should prove what cover and excess were disclosed when the tenancy began, which policy version the tenant could request, what changed and when the tenant was told, and how any damage claim was assessed. Keep the signed statement, policy schedules and wording, tenant requests and delivery proof, written change notices, body corporate cover where relevant, condition evidence, repair records, insurer decisions, and the liability calculation.
This guide applies to New Zealand residential tenancies. It does not describe Australian insurance or state and territory tenancy rules.
The primary sources were reviewed on 21 July 2026. The current Tenancy Services insurance guidance and the latest versions of sections 13A, 45, 49B, and 123A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 were checked on that date.
What Rental Insurance Records Should New Zealand Landlords Keep?
Keep three linked evidence trails: disclosure, policy changes, and damage events.
| Evidence trail | Records to keep in New Zealand | What the records should prove |
|---|---|---|
| Disclosure | Signed insurance statement, tenancy agreement, policy schedule, relevant policy wording, body corporate cover | What was insured, each relevant excess, and what the tenant was told at the start |
| Policy changes | Renewal schedule, endorsement, cancellation or replacement notice, written tenant update, delivery evidence | Which information changed, when the landlord became aware, and when the tenant was told |
| Damage event | Entry and inspection condition evidence, tenant report, photos, quotes, invoices, insurer correspondence, excess invoice, claim outcome, rent record, liability calculation | What happened, whether the damage was more than fair wear and tear, which liability rule applied, and how the amount was calculated |
Key Takeaway
The policy document is not the whole record. The tenancy file must connect the policy version and excess to the statement given to the tenant, then connect any later incident to the evidence, insurer decision, repair cost, and lawful liability limit.
What Must the Insurance Statement Say?
Section 13A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, reviewed on 21 July 2026, requires the tenancy agreement to include one of two positions:
- a statement that the premises are not insured, or
- if the premises are insured, the amount of each excess relevant to the tenant’s liability for destruction or damage, plus a statement that a copy of the policy is available on request
Tenancy Services’ required-statements guidance says a body corporate property needs insurance information relevant to the tenant’s liability for both the rental premises and shared facilities.
The fact is the required disclosure. The practical implication is to record policy and excess information by coverage, not as one unlabeled figure.
For each relevant policy, keep:
- insurer and policy number
- insured property and coverage period
- type of damage cover relevant to tenant liability
- excess amount disclosed
- body corporate policy or certificate where shared facilities are relevant
- insurance statement version and signature
- tenancy agreement version to which the statement was attached
- date and method the complete agreement was supplied to the tenant
The Tenancy Services insurance statement template is useful as a field checklist. A landlord may use another format, but the file should still preserve the required information and the version actually given to the tenant.
What Happens When the Policy or Excess Changes?
Section 13A says that when previously supplied insurance information becomes incorrect, the landlord must provide the correct information to the tenant in writing within a reasonable time after becoming aware of the change.
Do not overwrite the old schedule or edit the original statement in place. Keep a version trail:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Previous policy and excess | Proves the information that applied before the change |
| New schedule or endorsement | Proves the revised cover, excess, and effective date |
| Date the landlord became aware | Anchors the response timeline |
| Written tenant notice | Shows the corrected information supplied |
| Delivery method and date | Shows when the notice reached the tenant |
| Tenancy record link | Keeps the change attached to the correct agreement and property |
The phrase within a reasonable time is not a fixed number of days in the cited provision. Record the dates instead of inventing a deadline that the Act does not state.
If a policy lapses, is cancelled, or no longer covers a relevant event, record that change accurately. Do not leave an old insured status or excess in the tenancy file as if it remained current.
What Must Be Kept When a Tenant Requests the Policy?
Section 45 of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 says an insured landlord must, within a reasonable time after a tenant requests it, provide each policy relevant to the tenant’s liability for destruction or damage.
Keep:
- the tenant’s request and date received
- the policy version that applied on that date
- any schedule or endorsement needed to understand the excess
- the copy actually supplied
- the delivery method, date, and recipient
- any explanation of material that was withheld or redacted, with professional advice supporting that decision
The Act refers to the relevant policy, not only the one-page schedule. If the schedule does not explain exclusions or conduct that could affect a claim, sending only the schedule may leave the record incomplete.
Avoid placing unrelated personal information in the tenant copy. Where the policy contains information about another person or property, obtain insurer or legal guidance on a compliant copy rather than making undocumented edits.
How Does the Insurance Excess Affect Careless-Damage Liability?
Tenancy Services’ insurance guidance says that where a tenant or their guest causes careless damage, liability is generally capped at the lower of four weeks’ rent and the landlord’s insurance excess. For income-related rent, the guidance refers to four weeks’ market rent.
Section 49B of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 contains the current legal test. It also separates careless damage from intentional damage, conduct constituting an imprisonable offence, pet-caused damage, and circumstances in which insurance money becomes irrecoverable because of a tenant’s act or omission.
Do not apply the careless-damage cap mechanically to every incident. First record the evidence, then identify the rule that is actually being relied on.
For a careless-damage calculation, retain:
- the policy and excess that applied on the incident date
- the weekly rent, or market rent where the income-related-rent rule applies
- the four-week calculation
- repair or replacement evidence
- insurer claim, acceptance, decline, and excess records
- the lower statutory limit used
- any agreement about the tenant carrying out work instead of paying
Example calculation structure:
| Input | Recorded amount |
|---|---|
| Proven repair cost | Source invoice or quote |
| Applicable policy excess | Policy schedule and insurer evidence |
| Four weeks’ rent | Rent record for the incident date |
| Careless-damage limit | Lower of the applicable excess and four weeks’ rent |
| Amount requested | No more than the proven loss and applicable limit |
This is a records framework, not a conclusion that the tenant is liable. The classification and amount may be disputed and can require Tenancy Tribunal or legal advice.
What Evidence Should a Damage File Contain?
Tenancy Services’ damage and repairs guidance, reviewed on 21 July 2026, says the landlord must first prove that damage is not fair wear and tear. It identifies relevant insurance policies, damage photos, and repair receipts or quotes as supporting documents.
Build the incident file in date order:
- signed start condition report and dated images
- later inspection records showing the condition before the event, where available
- tenant or contractor report of the damage
- photographs, video, and notes identifying location and scale
- immediate mitigation steps and access records
- repair scope, quotes, invoices, and payment evidence
- insurer notification and claim number
- policy version, coverage decision, excess, and settlement statement
- correspondence about cause and responsibility
- calculation of any amount requested from the tenant
- agreement, repayment, mediation, or Tenancy Tribunal outcome
Keep fact, interpretation, and outcome separate. A photograph can show a broken item. It does not by itself prove who caused the damage, whether the conduct was careless or intentional, or which policy term applies.
How Long Should the Records Be Kept?
Section 123A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 requires the tenancy agreement and specified inspection, work, professional assessment, advertisement, notice, and correspondence records to be retained during the tenancy and for 12 months after it ends.
That is a statutory tenancy-record minimum for the listed documents. It is not a universal destruction date for every insurance record.
Keep a longer record where it is still needed for:
- an open insurer claim or complaint
- a Tenancy Tribunal or court dispute
- an insurer’s policy condition
- a tax or accounting record rule
- a limitation period advised by a New Zealand lawyer
- a body corporate claim involving common property
Record the retention basis and review date. Do not delete a policy or claim file merely because 12 months has passed if an active legal, insurance, or tax purpose remains.
Practical Filing Pattern
For each New Zealand rental property, keep an insurance folder with:
current-policy-and-scheduleinsurance-statement-and-tenancy-agreementbody-corporate-covertenant-policy-requests-and-deliveryrenewals-endorsements-and-change-noticespremium-and-tax-recordsdamage-eventsclaims-and-insurer-decisionsrepairs-and-paymentstenant-liability-calculationsdisputes-and-outcomesretention-review
Use policy effective dates and incident dates in filenames. insurance.pdf does not show whether it was the version disclosed to the tenant or the version that applied when damage occurred.
Related Proppi Guides
- New Zealand Landlord Compliance Checklist 2026
- New Zealand Rental Law Changes 2026
- Property Document Types: New Zealand Landlord Reference
- New Zealand Rental Applicant Privacy Records
- New Zealand Unit Title Disclosure Records
- How Proppi Builds Property Memory from Documents
- Landlord insurance
Source Note
This article is specific to New Zealand. It relies on Tenancy Services guidance and the current Residential Tenancies Act 1986. It is general information about organising rental insurance records, not legal, insurance, tenancy, tax, accounting, or claims advice.
Last reviewed: 21 July 2026. Confirm the current position with Tenancy Services, the latest New Zealand legislation, the relevant insurer, and a qualified New Zealand adviser.
The Short Version
- Keep the signed statement, agreement, policy, schedule, and every excess relevant to tenant liability.
- For body corporate property, preserve the cover relevant to both the rental premises and shared facilities.
- Record tenant policy requests, the exact copy supplied, and delivery evidence.
- Keep old and new policy versions plus written notice whenever insurance information changes.
- Build each damage file from condition evidence through insurer outcome, repair cost, and liability calculation.
Suggested citation
Proppi Editorial Team, "New Zealand Rental Insurance Records: What to Keep in 2026", Proppi, 2026-07-21.
Sources used
- Tenancy Services - Required statements for tenancy agreements
- Tenancy Services - Insurance
- Tenancy Services - Insurance statement template
- Tenancy Services - Damage and repairs
- New Zealand Legislation - Residential Tenancies Act 1986, section 13A
- New Zealand Legislation - Residential Tenancies Act 1986, section 45
- New Zealand Legislation - Residential Tenancies Act 1986, section 49B
- New Zealand Legislation - Residential Tenancies Act 1986, section 123A
Running rentals in New Zealand?
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