Body Corporate Insurance

Redwood Insurance Brokers makes body corporate insurance clear, practical, and aligned to how your building is actually set up. We’ll help you insure the building and common property properly, explain the trade-offs in plain English (like reinstatement values, unit title responsibilities, and what sits with owners vs the body corporate), and check the common gaps that cause nasty surprises at claim time. If something goes wrong, we’ll back you and help drive the claim through.

Why body corporate insurance matters

If you own or manage a unit title property, the body corporate is responsible for insuring key parts of the building and common property (with responsibilities and exact requirements depending on your setup and legislation). When something goes wrong — fire, storm, water damage, liability incidents — insurance becomes a committee-level stress test.

The right policy helps protect owners collectively, supports compliance, and reduces disputes about “who pays for what”.

What we help with:

We can help you organise cover for:

  • Body corporate building insurance (material damage to the building and common property)

  • Common area assets (lifts, pumps, gates, shared plant — policy dependent)

  • Body corporate liability (third-party injury/property damage claims connected to common property/operations)

  • Office bearers / committee liability options (where relevant)

  • Contents & Liability for individual owners

We’ll talk through the building type, services (lifts, pools, gyms), occupancy mix (owner-occupied vs tenanted vs short-stay) - then recommend cover that fits.

Free insurance review

What’s covered by the body corporate vs individual owners? (the confusion we fix)

In unit title buildings, insurance responsibilities can be misunderstood. The body corporate typically insures the building and common property, while owners may still need their own cover for:

  • contents and personal belongings

  • landlord risks (if renting)

  • improvements or non-standard fittings (depending on rules and policy structure)

  • loss of rent and tenant-related liability (can have limited cover under Body Corp)

Plain-English takeaway: we help you map out responsibility lines so owners don’t assume the body corporate policy covers everything.

Setting the right reinstatement value (where big underinsurance happens)

Underinsurance is one of the biggest risks for body corporates. Reinstatement values should reflect real rebuild costs, which may include:

  • professional fees

  • demolition and debris removal

  • code/standard upgrades (where required/allowed)

  • access constraints and complex builds (high-rise, tight sites, heritage features)

  • long lead-time materials and specialist trades

Plain-English takeaway: the “market value” of apartments isn’t the same thing as rebuild cost. We help you set the insurance value properly.

Natural hazards in NZ (the part people half-remember)

In New Zealand, residential building insurance often interacts with Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake (NHC) cover (previously EQC), subject to eligibility, limits and legislation. How this applies can vary based on building type and event.

Plain-English takeaway: there can be more than one moving part in a major event. We help you understand how the pieces fit together so you’re not guessing during a claim.

The “gotchas” we look for (so you don’t find them mid-claim)

This is where a broker earns their keep. We check for:

  • Water damage and gradual damage traps (leaks, deterioration, maintenance-related issues)

  • Maintenance vs insurance confusion (what’s insured vs what’s wear-and-tear)

  • Excesses that look fine until a shared claim hits multiple owners

  • Short-stay / AirBnB-style use affecting cover terms (insurer rules vary)

  • Commercial tenancies in mixed-use buildings (risk changes fast)

  • Lifts and plant needing machinery breakdown, not standard material damage

  • Liability gaps around common property and contractors

  • Named insured issues (correct legal entity and unit title details)

  • Claim coordination (multiple units affected, responsibility disputes, access and repairs)

If there’s a gap, we’ll tell you straight and explain your options.

Our process (simple, on purpose)

  1. Quick chat: building details, occupancy mix, services, and pain points

  2. Review: we check current policy, values, and committee requirements

  3. Recommendations: clear options, clear trade-offs (limits, excesses, extensions)

  4. Placement: we organise the cover and confirm key details

  5. Ongoing support: changes, renewals, and claims help

If you need to claim

Body corporate claims can become messy because they affect multiple owners. We help you:

  • understand what to do first and how to document the damage

  • lodge and progress the claim

  • coordinate information for the insurer and loss adjuster

  • keep repairs moving and reduce owner friction

  • push for a fair, timely outcome

How Redwood does it differently

Independent
We compare options across insurers and recommend the best match for your building and governance needs.

Advice, not just a quote
We explain trade-offs in plain English so committees can decide confidently.

A sharper risk lens
We look for underinsurance, exclusions, and building-specific risks that bite later.

Claims advocacy
If you need to claim, we help coordinate, keep momentum, and push for a fair outcome.

Fast-moving
You deal with people who can make progress — not a maze of handoffs.

FAQ’s

  • Many unit title properties must have building insurance in place, but requirements depend on your circumstances. We’ll help you confirm what applies to your building.

  • No — owners usually need their own contents cover, and landlords may need landlord cover.

  • It depends on the unit title rules and policy structure. We’ll help clarify what’s insured by the body corporate and what sits with owners.

  • Sudden damage is often covered, but gradual damage and maintenance issues are commonly excluded or limited. We’ll explain what your policy does and doesn’t do.

  • Often yes. Body corporate liability (and sometimes office bearers/committee liability) can be important depending on your building and governance risk.

  • No. We help small unit title developments through to larger complexes — this page is focused on NZ body corporate cover.

Want a free second opinion on your body corporate insurance?


Bring your current policy (or just tell us what you want covered). We’ll review it, explain what matters, and show you options.

Free insurance review