https://mynewstart.co.nz/can-you-sell-an-uninsured-home-in-canterbury/rYes — and it’s more common than most people realise. A significant number of the properties we purchase across Christchurch and Canterbury are uninsured, either partially or entirely. It isn’t a barrier to selling, and it doesn’t change the fundamentals of how we work out what a property is worth.
If you’ve been holding off on making contact because you assumed an uninsured property couldn’t be sold, this post is worth reading.
Why so many Canterbury homes are uninsured
The reasons vary, but there are a few patterns we see regularly. Some homeowners received an EQC or insurance payout, took the cash, and the insurance was never reinstated — leaving the property uninsured against the outstanding damage. Others started repairs but didn’t complete them, and coverage lapsed in the process. In some cases, insurance simply wasn’t obtainable on the property after the earthquakes, or the premiums became unworkable.
Whatever the reason, it doesn’t affect your ability to sell. The property still has value, and that value can still be assessed.
How we value an uninsured property
The methodology we use doesn’t change based on whether a property is insured. We start with what the home would be worth on the open market once the work is done and it’s back in a fully repaired, insurable condition. From there, we subtract the cost of the repair work and our margin. That gives us the As Is Where Is offer.
What insurance did or didn’t pay out in the past has no bearing on that number. We’re looking at the current state of the property and the current cost of putting it right — not at the history of how it got to where it is.
What changes without insurance documentation
Having insurance documents — a scope of works, a settlement letter, correspondence from your insurer or EQC — can help us build an accurate picture of the property’s damage history before we visit.
But if that documentation doesn’t exist, it doesn’t stop the process. We work from what’s in front of us. We visit the property, assess the damage directly, and form our own view of the repair costs. It takes slightly more work on our end, but it’s a situation we deal with regularly.
You don’t need to have it all sorted before you call
A common concern we hear is that people feel they need to have everything in order — documentation, a clear picture of the damage, some idea of what the property is worth — before they make contact. You don’t. Part of what we do is help you understand what you have and what the options are.
If your property is uninsured, damaged, and you’re not sure where to start, a conversation with us is a reasonable first step. We’ll tell you what we’d need to see, ask what information is available, and take it from there.
We have helped over 450 Canterbury homeowners move forward from difficult property situations. The feedback we hear most consistently is that the process felt stress-free, fair, and more straightforward than people expected — and that dealing directly with Kane and Ronan made a real difference. For us, it has always been about more than buying houses. It is about helping people move forward with confidence and giving them the fresh start they have been looking for.
If you have a property you would like to talk through, we are happy to have a conversation with no obligation on your part.
Call us on 0800 697 827 or visit mynewstart.co.nz.
