Domestic Home insurance is designed to provide cover for your home and personal contents against specified insured events. If you do have to make a claim, there’s a good chance it could be for one of the 3 most common events: fire, storm or water damage.
Fire
The devastating bushfires of 2019-20 reminded us all how important home insurance can be. Home and contents insurance can provide cover for your buildings and contents if they are damaged or destroyed by fire, including bushfire.
It’s not unusual for insurers to have a 48-hour waiting period on bushfire cover. Please refer to your home insurance Product Disclosure Statement for full policy conditions.
Storm damage
Home and contents insurance can cover the costs of repairing or replacing your home or belongings for loss or damage caused by storm. Similar to fire cover, there’s generally a 48-hour waiting period on storm cover.
Most insurers will have a definition of what they consider to be a 'storm', and it will usually require that the storm be a cyclone or tornado, or rain, hail, wind or snow of significant force and/or volume.
It’s important to note that you’re responsible for closing all the doors and windows to your home when a storm is on its way. If you leave these open for rain, hail, or snow to come in, you might not be able to claim. For full policy conditions, please refer to your home insurance Product Disclosure Statement.
Water damage
With building and contents insurance, you could make a claim for loss or damage caused by the unexpected escape of any liquid from a washing machine, dishwasher, toilet, basin, fixed heating system, fixed tank, pool, spa or water main.
You could also be covered to repair or replace the item the liquid escaped from. However, you may not be covered for loss or damage caused by a gradual escape of liquid, or a faulty or leaking shower recess or shower base. For full policy conditions, please refer to your home insurance Product Disclosure Statement.
