How do you make a Tower insurance claim?

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-07 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

General information, not advice on your situation. Buying through Tower's online quote is direct, without advice. QuoteHub is a Tower partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission from Tower.

Log in to My Tower, choose the type of claim and describe what happened. If you cannot log in, Tower's online claim form does the same job (Tower claims page). You can also phone 0800 808 808 for house, contents or car claims (Tower house wording; Tower car wording). Tower says that claiming online in My Tower saves an average of five minutes, and that uploading photos and documents can help it validate your claim twice as fast (Tower claims page).

Which route to use

Tower's claims page sorts claims by what you are claiming for, and a few covers skip the standard route (Tower claims page).

Tower describes the process in three steps. You tell it what happened, a claims manager contacts you and may refer you to a repair or supply partner, and Tower keeps you updated until the claim is resolved. Some claims can be approved straight away, and for damage to a house or car it arranges an assessor (Tower claims page).

The first day, step by step

Your car wording lists the same opening moves a house claim needs: make sure you and others are safe, make the property safe, call the police if required, take photos of the damage, check your wording, collect documents and start an inventory of what you lost (Tower car wording). Two examples show how that plays out.

• A burst pipe in the night. Tower's advice is to turn off the water at the toby or isolation valve and call a plumber as soon as possible, then claim (Tower claims page). Photograph the damage before you clear anything away, and keep the plumber's invoice. Your wording requires you to take reasonable steps to prevent further loss, but also to get Tower's permission before you arrange repairs or incur expense for the claim (Tower house wording), so phone before you book the full repair.
• A car crash with another driver. Note the other driver's name, phone number and registration, because Tower's vehicle claim asks for them (Tower claims page). Your wording also says not to discuss another person's claim against you with them and to refer them to Tower instead (Tower car wording).

What to have ready

Tower says you can still lodge a claim without every document, but this is what it asks for to speed things up (Tower claims page).

The Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) adds that downloaded images from the internet are not enough to prove you owned something, and that receipts, warranties, valuations and your own photos are better evidence (ICNZ). If you have no receipt for an older item, your own photos of it in use are worth digging out.

What your policy wording expects of you

Tower's house, contents and car wordings set out similar duties at claim time (house, car), and the house wording says Tower can decline a claim if you do not comply. The main ones are:

• Tell Tower as soon as you become aware of anything likely to result in a claim (Tower house wording).
• Tell the police if arson, theft, burglary or malicious damage appears to have occurred, and pass on the acknowledgement number (Tower house wording).
• Take reasonable steps to prevent further loss.
• Get Tower's permission before arranging repairs or replacement or incurring expense for the claim.
• Return any claim form within 30 days if Tower asks you to complete one (Tower house wording).
• Provide proof of ownership or purchase, and cooperate with Tower's requests for information.
• Pay the excess that applies.

A claim is also more likely to run into trouble where a loss fits an exclusion. Tower's house wording includes a stand-down period, which excludes a storm, flood, wildfire, tsunami, volcanic activity or landslide that happens within 72 hours of the policy starting. It does not apply if the policy started immediately after another policy that covered these risks (Tower house wording). The ICNZ also notes that insurance covers sudden and unexpected events rather than wear and tear or lack of maintenance (ICNZ).

What the excess means for a claim

The excess is the part of a claim you pay. It applies to each event, and your certificate of insurance shows yours (Tower car wording). Four details people often miss:

• If Tower accepts claims for more than one thing it insures for you from the same event, such as your car and your contents, you pay only the higher of those excesses (Tower car wording).
• Extra excesses apply to the car when it is driven by an inexperienced driver, or by someone on an international licence that does not qualify under NZTA's list of exempt countries (Tower car wording).
• Under the car wording's "claims that were not your fault" benefit, you do not pay an excess if you identify the other party (name, phone number and vehicle registration) and Tower is satisfied they were more than 50% at fault (Tower car wording).
• If you chose the optional windscreen and window glass excess buyout, a claim only for that glass is excess free (Tower car wording).

How Tower settles a claim

Tower says it will process a claim within the policy terms, explain the process, tell you what it needs, arrange an assessor if required, keep you updated and, if it declines, explain why (Tower car wording). Neither the claims page nor the wordings give a fixed number of days for a decision, so treat any timeframe you are quoted as specific to your claim.

How it pays depends on the cover:

• House: the maximum Tower will pay per event is the least of the actual repair cost, the actual cost to replace the floor area as it was before the loss (or the area on your certificate, whichever is less), and the sum insured. Tower may repair, pay the actual repair cost as you incur it, or pay a cash estimate (Tower house wording). QuoteHub's sum insured guide explains why that figure matters.
• House, while you cannot live there: the Standard wording pays reasonable temporary accommodation costs up to $15,000 for each event if the house is uninhabitable because of a covered loss. It does not apply to a holiday home or a house that was unoccupied for more than 90 consecutive days (Tower house wording).
• Car repairs: Tower can arrange the repair or pay the reasonable cost as it assesses it, up to the least of the repair cost, market value at the time of loss and the agreed value on your certificate (Tower car wording). The comprehensive car insurance guide covers agreed versus market value.
• Car total loss: Tower pays the agreed or market value, whichever your certificate shows. If you pay by instalments you must pay the rest of the annual premium before it settles, the car and any salvage become Tower's property, and the policy is cancelled automatically. Tower pays a finance company if it has been told of its interest in the car (Tower car wording).
• Own repairer: if you choose a repairer outside Tower's recommended network, Tower may choose to pay its assessed repair cost rather than arrange the work. Repairs by a Tower Repair Partner are covered by a repair warranty from Tower for as long as you own the car (Tower car wording).

Natural hazard claims

If your house is damaged by a natural hazard, Tower's wording says you must claim under NHCover first. Tower then pays the difference between that cover and your sum insured, less any applicable excess, and does not cover amounts the Natural Hazards Commission legally refuses to pay. The Standard wording adds a $5,000 extra excess for natural hazard damage to a driveway, path, fence, or swimming or spa pool (Tower house wording). Tower also says it manages NHCover claims on the Commission's behalf (Tower complaints page). The Natural Hazards Commission (formerly EQC) says that in most cases you make new claims for natural hazard damage through your private insurer (Natural Hazards Commission). QuoteHub's natural disaster insurance guide covers how the two layers fit together, and the Tower house insurance guide covers the cover levels.

If you disagree with Tower's decision

Start by telling Tower you are unhappy. Its wording says a quick conversation often fixes things, and if it does not, Tower will take you through its internal disputes resolution process and then tell you how to reach its external disputes resolution provider (Tower car wording). Tower's complaints page says you can phone it, use its online form or write to it, and that you can ask for a letter of deadlock once its internal process is finished.

Tower is a member of the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO) (Tower disclosure). IFSO describes its service as independent, fair and free for consumers (IFSO). Tower's complaints page says that after a letter of deadlock you have three months to ask IFSO to investigate, and that Tower is bound by its ruling (Tower complaints page). Disagreements about NHCover claims are handled differently, through a dispute scheme the Natural Hazards Commission appoints, so ask Tower how that route works (Tower complaints page).

Tower says it abides by the ICNZ Fair Insurance Code (Tower), and the Insurance Council sets out the timeline for a formal complaint under it. Your insurer will acknowledge it within five business days and respond within 10 business days. If it is not resolved, you can go to the external scheme after a letter of deadlock or once the complaint has been open for more than two months. The schemes cannot review commercial decisions such as premium or policy terms (ICNZ).

Getting a quote from Tower online

If you are comparing cover before you ever need to claim, have your address and sum insured (for a house) or registration number and driver history (for a car) to hand. QuoteHub's link opens Tower's own online quote, where you work through the questions and see Tower's terms for yourself: Tower's online quote. Our Tower quote guide explains what to have ready, and other insurers sell this cover too.

Questions people ask

How do I make a claim with Tower?

Log in to My Tower and choose the type of claim, or use Tower's online claim form if you cannot log in. For house, contents or car policies you can also phone 0800 808 808 (Tower claims page; Tower house wording).

What number do I call to claim?

The wordings give 0800 808 808 for house, contents and car claims. Contract works claims use 0800 379 372, and travel and pet claims go to Allianz Partners on separate numbers listed on Tower's claims page (Tower claims page).

Can I make a Tower claim without a My Tower account?

Yes. If you have trouble logging in, Tower offers an online claim form for vehicle, contents, house and landlord claims, and you can register for My Tower from the same page (Tower claims page).

How long does a Tower claim take?

Tower does not publish a fixed timeframe. It says it will process claims as fast as it can, keep you informed and settle accepted claims as soon as it can, and it arranges an assessor where one is required (Tower car wording).

Can I repair my car before Tower approves the claim?

Not safely. The wording requires you to get Tower's permission before arranging repairs or incurring expense for a claim, and Tower lists this as a claim-time duty (Tower car wording; Tower house wording). ICNZ gives the same advice for motor claims (ICNZ).

What if Tower declines my claim?

Tower says it will clearly explain why. You can then use its internal complaints process, and if that does not resolve it, take the matter to IFSO, which describes its service as free for consumers (IFSO).

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). How to Make a Tower Insurance Claim. www.quotehub.co.nz/tower-insurance/tower-insurance-claims. Updated 2026-10-07.

References

• Tower, Submit your claim online
• Tower, house standard policy wording 09-24
• Tower, car comprehensive policy wording 09-24
• Tower, publicly available disclosure
• Tower, complaints and compliments
• ICNZ, making a claim
• ICNZ, making a complaint
• Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme
• Natural Hazards Commission, claims

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