Victims of burgled homes, rented out through online booking sites, may not be eligible for compensation.
Six holiday homes in Christchurch were burgled within one week Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Police said six properties in Christchurch were burgled this week, after the guests used stolen credit cards to book their accomodation.
Christchurch tactical crime Detective Sergeant Colin Baillie said after offenders gained access a home, they proceeded to rob it.
"[They] are booking properties through these sites using stolen credit cards, turning up and stripping them bare, taking everything from lounge suites and bedding to whiteware," he said.
A Police spokesperson would not confirm which company or booking site had been used, but said Police would be contacting them about the problem.
They said victims would need to contact their insurer with regards to compensation.
However, Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton said insurance would not cover theft, if the thief had been let in to the house.
"Under any insurance policy, if you let people into your home and they rob it then you don't have any comeback on insurance. Letting a thief into your home voluntarily, does not enable you to make a claim against theft."
A spokesperson for Airbnb said they had not had any reports of this happening through their site.
They did not confirm if property owners would be eligible for compensation through its 'Host Protection' policy, which does cover for damages.
Mr Grafton said generally unintentional damage by guests was covered by insurance, but home-owners still needed to be cautious.
"If you're regularly renting out part of your home, or a property that you own, and there's accidental damage and you haven't told your insurer that is what you are undertaking then there is a possibility your claim may not be accepted and you might have to pursue the [booking company's] guarantee for payment."
He said another pitfall people needed to be aware of, if renting their home out through a booking website, was it would no longer qualify for any Earthquake Commission (EQC) compensation.
"If there was a natural disaster and EQC determined that the property was being used for commercial purposes then cover may not apply as EQC is there for resident's losses not commercial losses."
"There may be people who have a second property and are renting it out on Airbnb for example, and they never live in it but they're using that property for commercial purposes pretty much 365 days of the year - EQC could treat that as a commercial venture."
He said landlord insurance could be an option.
Police enquiries into the Christchurch burglaries are ongoing, and it is unclear if the bulglaries are linked.
