Property Insurance for someone with a recent criminal record ?

[qqueen]

When it comes to home insurance, you may be asked about the criminal history of everyone living in that house. You don’t have to disclose convictions unless asked. However if you are not asked, go through the terms and conditions to see if they mention convictions. There are specialist insurance brokers to help people with convictions get insurance. You can get a list of specialized brokers in one of your local insurance Associations.

[skid]

So Ive got a number of tenants.
They all seem ok,but I dont know for sure if they have any convictions.
If it turns out they do-my house insurance is void?
If thats the case, I guess that something about it should be put on the tenancy agreement or the application form.(and if they tick no convictions,and it turns out they do)--insurance is void??

Or is it a case of if you dont know about it ,your ok?

[Nice]

I think that what you don't know won't hurt you, so don't ask; but if you wanted to be safe, ask the opinion of your insurance company.

[gavinc]

I think that what you don't know won't hurt you, so don't ask; but if you wanted to be safe, ask the opinion of your insurance company.

Nice - have you found a solution to your original problem of having insurance refused?

[Nice]

Unfortunately not, as I was fully aware that my son had a criminal record. I felt it would have been difficult for me to claim later anything otherwise should I have needed to, after all he is living with me, so I did the full disclosure thing, and got shot down big time for it.

Happily not dealing with Tower any longer, or any of the other couple I tried, and have a very good relationship going now with Crombie Lockwood giving me cover on all 6 houses and 2 vehicles; with full disclosure so I can sleep at night !

Towers loss proved to be Crombie Lockwoods gain !

[Meehole]

We have just moved 2 rental properties from AMI to Tower (Whangarei). Being involved in the rebuild in ChCh and dealing with the insurers, Tower are up there as one of the best.

[gavinc]

Unfortunately not, as I was fully aware that my son had a criminal record. I felt it would have been difficult for me to claim later anything otherwise should I have needed to, after all he is living with me, so I did the full disclosure thing, and got shot down big time for it.

Happily not dealing with Tower any longer, or any of the other couple I tried, and have a very good relationship going now with Crombie Lockwood giving me cover on all 6 houses and 2 vehicles; with full disclosure so I can sleep at night !

Towers loss proved to be Crombie Lockwoods gain !

So you have resolved the issue and got insurance but with a different insurance company i.e you are no longer being refused insurance even with full disclosure.

[Nice]

Yes, it all worked out in the end, but was a rather stressful week with no cover on our home.

I figured after that if Crombie Lockwood were OK with providing the cover given the circumstances, then they deserved to have all my business.

[Glenn]

I recall Glenn saying he has every sort of tenant possible - and quite a few that no other landlord would want.
What happens about the owners insurance when Glenn rents the property to someone with a record?

Oh b@@@##er.
I thought eventually someone would ask that.
I have had insurance companies ask if the tenant had a criminal record.
Well actually I think they wanted an assurance that none of the tenants had a criminal record. Actually that question as asked just a few months ago. The property was over 100 years old converted into four flats. The new owner was purchasing it with tenants in place.
I replied that I did not know about the tenants past criminal activity. I did not point out to them that some of the tenants came from India and Nepal.
One had mental health issues.
One worked for a Maori organization who at one stage killed some of the leaders of Nelson (not long before the property was built)
One was a recovered alcoholic and smoked.
My answer was ... Listen to this.... "Criminal records were not currently available to me so I could not answer their question. However there is legislation being introduced that will eventually provide on line access to all proceedings of the criminal courts"
The answer .... Oh that is ok then. So long as you do not know about any criminal activity in the past it is ok.

[Glenn]

On the wider issue of people coming out of jail and reintegration.
I am finding in some cases the authorities seem to be getting more desperate due to the difficulty of housing them in properties that the Police, probation, and the Parole board will approve. I recently housed a bad person who had been in and out of jail all of his life. He will never work again.
He had been a tenant of mine several times in the past. I never had damage in the flat but there had been some issues.
I got a written assurance from WINZ in advance that they would pay the rent by redirection and all of the bond. (the normal four weeks)
WINZ did not honour that written promise and I was very assertively critical for them not being honourable about it. I threatened to go to Dr Nick Smith about it. Clearly they made those false promises to me in desperation to rehouse the criminal and thought they would get away with it.
After only three weeks of freedom the police arrested him again and sent him back to jail to serve out the remainder of his term.
The payments from WINZ unusually continued on post his departure so I eventually got all of the money owed to us. My guess is the continuing payments were not an accident.
So I guess someone in the organization had some heart.
Anyway whilst it is reasonable for society to do their best to protect ourselves and limit the risk from bad people there has to be some limit to that. The alternative is to either leave them locked up for the remainder of their lives or shoot them. I am not about to subscribe to either of these final solutions.

[Aston]

Oh that is ok then. So long as you do not know about any criminal activity in the past it is ok.

Does anybody know where the Insurance Companies stand with regard to the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 ?

[skid]

Yes, it all worked out in the end, but was a rather stressful week with no cover on our home.

I figured after that if Crombie Lockwood were OK with providing the cover given the circumstances, then they deserved to have all my business.

They must have realized you were nice

[anne15]

inquiry on the outcome

Yes, my thoughts also, hence the posting !

"Human Rights Commission don't seem to think it is discrimination, rather a commercial decision. Insurance Ombudsman has assisted me in direction towards a complaints process, but this looks like it will take weeks. In the mean time, my own house policy has been cancelled !"

Hi
I just want to ask what happened with your insurance? how are you able to get insurance for your house/s? i am in the processes of settlement, but with my current conviction, i could not seem to get any insurance for the house. which will then result to cancelling the offer (God forbid).

I am not a bad person, just made a wrong decision in the past which i terribly regret. it has affected my entire family.

[Viking]

Unfortunately not, as I was fully aware that my son had a criminal record. I felt it would have been difficult for me to claim later anything otherwise should I have needed to, after all he is living with me, so I did the full disclosure thing, and got shot down big time for it.

Happily not dealing with Tower any longer, or any of the other couple I tried, and have a very good relationship going now with Crombie Lockwood giving me cover on all 6 houses and 2 vehicles; with full disclosure so I can sleep at night !

Towers loss proved to be Crombie Lockwoods gain !

Hi
I just want to ask what happened with your insurance? how are you able to get insurance for your house/s? i am in the processes of settlement, but with my current conviction, i could not seem to get any insurance for the house. which will then result to cancelling the offer (God forbid).

I am not a bad person, just made a wrong decision in the past which i terribly regret. it has affected my entire family.

Hi, go to Crombie Lockwood. Great to deal with.

[Angela1]

Don't take out insurance at what will obviously be a high price given your situation now its on record. Someone advised me when I was younger not to take out any insurance, instead put the value of it away in a savings account and don't touch it - this is good advice (except maybe if you live in an earthquake or flooding area). It doesn' take long to gather a decent sum. Banks like you because you can show you can save. Due to my collection of speeding offences in fast cars (with zero alcohol) I don't have car insurance because they still charge the full price even when you own multiple vehicles but can only drive one at time, the insurance cost is exorbitant and not worth it to me my money is better in the bank.
I still don't have insurance on the house I live in, farm insurance, nor on any of the rental properties. Don't let trees grow too tall/heavy within falling zone of any buildings. From the sounds of this osaki? case im better off not having insurance anyway because it seems that is the only way to get tennants to pay for any damage is if you are not insured (hope I understood that bit right). Also Dobermans make great guard dogs they are 100% effective and are much cheaper than insurance.