Buying a home that's had an EQCover claim

Find out whether the home has had an EQCover claim, and what to be aware of if a property claim is being transferred.

Ask the vendor or real estate agent whether the home has had an EQCover claim.

If it has, ask for more information about the claim including whether it has been resolved or not, and seek legal advice before you sign an agreement for the purchase of the home.
You can ask the real estate agent anything you want to know about the property. They can’t withhold any information they know.
You can also contact us to see what information is available (for example, historical records, previous claims) on a property. Providing this information can take up to 20 working days.
See Transferring a property claim to someone else for information about what homebuyers need to be aware of, and what EQC needs, when transferring an EQCover claim as part of a property purchase.
If you are buying or selling a home in Canterbury, see our Canterbury – Buying & selling page for important information specific to the area.
This Assignment of claims with earthquake damage factsheet [PDF, 317 KB] for new Canterbury homeowners also outlines the assignment process, limitations of assigned claims and what is required to reopen an assigned claim.

Requesting EQCover claim documents

If you are interested in buying a home, you can make a request to Toka Tū Ake EQC to obtain property related information about any previous claims for disaster damage for that property.
Providing this information can take up to 20 working days. Apply using our Official
Information Act request form.

If the property you’re interested in buying has had an EQCover claim and was cash settled,
you can ask the vendor or agent to see the documents that support any repairs they have
completed (e.g. repair receipts, expert reports and consenting documents).

Read more about the process for requesting EQCover claim documents.