Knowing the total cost to rebuild your home can be difficult. So, we’ve delved into the details
to give you a better idea of exactly what your Sum Insured is, and how to calculate it.
Using Cordell Sum Sure
The Cordell Sum Sure calculator is a good place to start. It’s helpful in giving you a good
estimated figure of the cost to rebuild your home based on construction costs, allowances for
professional fees, demolition, removal of debris and GST.
When you first take out Home Insurance with AMI, we’ll ask you to specify the total amount you
would need to rebuild your home to the same quality – this is your Sum Insured.
Your Sum Insured is made up of your Home Sum Insured, and the Sum Insured for any Special
Features you buy cover for. It’s the maximum amount to be paid, after any applicable excess, if
your house was wiped out by a natural disaster or suffered significant damage from major events
like flooding or fire. It not only needs to cover materials and labour, but other costs to
rebuild your home like demolition, consents and other fees.
It’s always a good time to review your Sum Insured no matter where you are in your
journey with us.
I'm new to AMI
Welcome! Let’s get your Sum Insured figured out for your home policy. The
Cordell Sum Sure calculator is a great place to start to get an estimate. Once you’ve crunched
the numbers, get in touch for a quote or get one online.
Thanks for sticking with AMI and trusting us to take care of your home. It’s a good idea to
review your Sum Insured at least every year when your policy comes up for renewal. We’ll adjust
your Sum Insured at renewal for changes in building costs but if you are making changes or
additions to your home you should contact us immediately to ensure this is covered.
Once
you’ve used the Cordell Sum Sure calculator or got a professional in to re-evaluate your Sum
Insured, get in touch and we’ll set your new total amount.
This is such an exciting time! We’re so pleased you’ve chosen us to insure your
newest asset.
Use the Cordell Sum Sure calculator or get a professional in to assess your
new property. When you have an estimate you’re happy with, get in touch for a quote or get one online.
The estimated maximum amount it would cost to repair or rebuild your home if it was
destroyed, including Recreational Features, Retaining Walls and Special Features.
An amount that covers materials and labour as well as costs like demolition, consents and
other fees.
An amount you need to choose.
What Sum Insured isn't:
It's not the rateable value (RV) or capital value (CV) of your home.
The market value or the price you paid for your home.
It's not the value of the land.
It's not automatically inclusive of Special Features (such as a bridge, jetty or cable car)
on your property - you may need additional cover for these.
Getting your Sum Insured right
If your Sum Insured is too low, you may not be able to repair or rebuild your home to
the same size and quality. You could also find yourself paying for some of the repairs or rebuild
yourself. So, it’s really important to get it right.
Working out your Sum Insured
The good news is
the Cordell Sum Sure calculator is easy to use. All you need to do is enter your address and the
calculator prepopulates itself with information about your property. Your Sum Insured should
include:
Demolition costs
Council consents and other professional fees
Labour costs
The floor area of your home
Fixed floor coverings (like carpet)
Land slope
Construction materials
Quality of materials and finish
Fixtures and fittings (i.e. baths, toilets, ovens, heat pumps)
Number of levels
Your home's design: villa, bungalow, contemporary and one-off architectural
Outbuildings such as detached garages and carports, granny flats
Driveways, decks, paths and fences
Make sure you include Recreational Features (such as swimming pools and tennis courts),
Retaining Walls or Special Features (such as bridges, cable cars, jetties). Don’t forget them,
as you might need to add extra cover for Recreational Features or Retaining Walls if their cost
is more than the policy limit, and if you have any Special Features, they aren’t automatically
covered so please tell us what they are and what the cost is. Make sure you check your Policy Wording for everything you need to
consider in your Sum Insured.
The different ways to calculate your Sum Insured
Use an online
calculator The Cordell Sum Sure calculator is free, easy-to-use and takes only a
short time to complete. All you need to do is to pop your address in and it will generate an
estimated cost for rebuilding your home. If the calculator prepopulates any incorrect
information in its initial calculation, you can make changes manually so it provides a more
realistic estimate for your home.
The figure is based on information gathered throughout
New Zealand from third party organisations, such as your local council. The calculator takes
into consideration anticipated construction costs, allowances for professional fees, demolition,
removal of debris and GST.
Remember, the estimated figure produced by the calculator is a guide only. It also doesn’t take
into consideration future changes to building costs (i.e. inflation) over your policy period so
if you want to include an allowance for this in your Sum Insured, you’ll need to add it to the
estimate generated by the calculator. The calculator includes professional fees, demolition,
removal of debris and GST and will account for price difference in some of these services around
New Zealand.
Ask a professional
If you want more peace of mind that your sum insured is accurate, it may be useful for you to
get a professional to assess your property. This is strongly recommended for large (>500sqm),
high value (>$2m) or architecturally designed homes.
QV and Construction Cost Consultants can provide residential valuations at a competitive price
for AMI customers. Contact them below:
If your address can’t be found and it includes a unit number (e.g. 23a), try different
variations (e.g. 1/23, 23/1). If your address still can’t be found, Cordell Sum Sure
calculator may not have details of the property, it may be a new subdivision or the
calculator is not suitable for the property at that address.
Don't worry if the photograph doesn’t match your house. The photograph might be
different (e.g. your house is brand new, or there is an old photo, a boundary photo or
street front photo) but the property details are based on the address not the photo.
The calculator assumes an average floor area for any garages, sheds or pool houses, so
if you have a particularly large detached building you might want to select a Sum
Insured higher than the estimate the calculator provides.
If you’re in the Canterbury area and your property has been identified as having a CERA
technical category rating (foundation requirements), then an allowance will have been
made for this. This is indicative only and you should seek specific engineering advice
for a reliable estimate of any costs.
The calculator uses typical building costs for standard finishes to provide an estimate.
If your home has significant special features and fittings, was built to a superior
standard, is very large or has a high value, consider using other options to establish a
better estimate of the rebuilding cost, such as a registered property valuer or quantity
surveyor, or select a Sum Insured higher than the estimate the calculator provides.
Factors such as the slope (steepness) of your land, the style and quality of
construction are important to get right when using the calculator. Ask for advice if
you’re unsure what to enter in the calculator.
This calculator has been customised for AMI so it’s important that you use the
calculator provided by your insurer. The AMI Cordell Sum Sure calculator adds GST to the
estimate it produces because your AMI Sum Insured is an amount which needs to include
GST.
Shared Ownership
Owners of cross-leased properties need to consider how to cover shared assets such as
driveways, fences and retaining walls . Check your property's Title documents for
reference to a 'plan of flats' (or similar) that sets out the various areas the cross
lease applies to, and if you're still unsure, talk to your legal advisor.
Body corporates must consider all the units in their multi-dwelling property as well as
any common property.
Things to note
This calculator provides an estimate Sum
Insured for your home but the final decision is yours, so if you think your amount is not
correct you can change it. This is general information and is not a recommendation, opinion or
guidance. If you would like a recommendation, please contact a registered valuer or quantity
surveyor. This calculator information does not provide any advice or opinion on the extent or
adequacy of the cover provided by Sum Insured insurance. This information is not personalised
financial advice and does not take into account your particular situation. You must make your
own decision on the Sum Insured that is appropriate for your circumstances.
The Cordell
Sum Sure calculator is an independent tool. AMI does not have access to the information you
enter, or access to the estimate that it produces, so if you’d like to adjust your home’s Sum
Insured, or add additional cover for retaining walls, Recreational Features or Special Features,
you’ll need to contact us. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your Sum Insured is adequate.