It takes a lot of effort to make your house a home. And if you’ve recently renovated, upgraded your appliances or redecorated with new furniture, you’ll know it also takes a lot of money.
But what would happen if an unexpected event damaged your home – or if your new items were stolen? If you haven’t reviewed your home insurance lately, check to see if your existing policy will adequately cover you.
Any renovations or improvements that increase the value of your home – or its cost to rebuild – should be reflected in your home insurance’s building sum insured. So if you’ve upgraded your kitchen or bathroom, or added a deck or other room, it may be time to review your home insurance.
When deciding how much extra building cover you need, consider the current total cost to rebuild, including GST and all improvements. You should also include the costs of demolition and debris removal, complying with any new building standards, and paying architectural, engineering, surveying, construction and legal expenses. These can all add to the rebuilding costs if your home is damaged or destroyed.
Whether it’s a new lounge or dining table, carpets, technology or sporting equipment, your belongings can add up to more than you think.
The theft of expensive items could set you back if they need to be replaced. And a fire or flood could see you having to replace all your contents – including fixtures and fittings like carpets and window furnishings – so it’s important to have the right amount of contents cover.
To understand what your contents are worth, do a room-by-room inventory of items including your storerooms and the garage. Then work out how much it would cost to replace everything.
If you already have building and contents insurance in place, remember to review it regularly to make sure it’s still up to date.
Things you should know
This article is intended to provide general information of an educational nature only. It does not have regard to the financial situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as financial product advice.
Home Insurance is provided and issued by Hollard Insurance Partners Limited ABN 96 067 524 216, AFSL 235030 (Hollard) and distributed by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124, AFSL 234945 (CBA). Hollard is not part of the CBA Group. CBA and its related entities do not sell, issue or guarantee the obligations or performance of Hollard or the products Hollard offers and this insurance product does not represent a deposit with or liability of either CBA or any of its related bodies corporate. If you purchase a Home Insurance policy, CBA is paid a commission which is a percentage of your premium.
For products issued by Hollard, information about the target market can be found within the product’s Target Market Determination available here.
This information has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should, before acting on this, consider the appropriateness of the product to your circumstances. A Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) is available at all Commonwealth Bank branches, by downloading them from commbank.com.au or by calling 13 2423 and should be considered before making any decisions about this product. You should also read the Premium, Excess and Discount Guide (PEDG), Key Facts Sheets (KFS), and Financial Services Guide (FSG) by clicking on the links, or by calling 13 2423 for a paper copy.
