Home and contents insurance lawyers

Who can make a home and contents insurance claim?

You may be able to make a home and contents insurance claim to receive financial assistance if your home and personal belongings have been damaged or lost due to unexpected events such as theft or natural disasters such as floods, bushfires and cyclones. You may also be able to make a claim for any accidental breakage of belongings depending on your policy.

Home and contents insurance policies usually only cover items of the people listed on the insurance policy. This means that any items that friends or family bring into your home aren't covered unless you have listed their names on your policy.

The items and damage your particular policy covers will depend on the level of cover you have, as well as the terms and conditions in your policy. Check your policy to find out if you have coverage for these three common events and items that may be important to you:

1. Defined events:
   If you read that your policy offers this level of cover, your belongings will only be insured if they are lost through a defined event like a fire or burglary.
2. Accidental damage:
   If your policy covers your home and contents in the event of accidental damage, you can make a claim if you accidentally break or even stain your belongings that are insured.
3. Valuable items:
   You can list specific valuable items on your policy to insure them for their proper value against damage, loss or theft.

Multiple home and contents insurance claims

You can file multiple claims in any one year if you need to. However, keep in mind that making a claim may increase your ongoing premium because insurers may determine that there is higher risk of damage to your home.

Home and contents insurance claim payout

There are a few main factors that will impact the size of your home insurance claim payout, including:

• The unique fine print in your policy
  Terms and conditions vary between insurers and policies, but our expert home insurance lawyers can help you navigate and understand the exact wording in your unique policy.
  
• The value of your belongings and any maximum limits for certain items.
  Many home and contents policies have limits on how much you can claim for certain items. For example, your insurer might only pay you out $500 for an unlisted piece of jewellery, even if it would cost you $10,000 to replace. If you have valuable items in your home, it’s usually best to insure these separately and specify how much you want to insure them for. You should also keep receipts and photographs of the valuable items.
• The extent of the damage. 
  Your insurer usually has the right to decide whether your home insurance claim is settled with a:
  • cash payout,
  • repair, or
  • replacement.

Time limits for making a claim

What the time limit is will depend on your insurance policy terms and conditions. Policy time limits can vary from 30 days to more than one year. However, starting the process as soon as possible is always best, proving your claim is much easier when the loss or damage has happened recently.

How we can help you

Your home insurer might rely on the fine print to knock back or limit your claim. We're here to help you understand exactly what you're covered for. We’ve helped many Australians succeed with their home insurance claims and in our experience even a rejected claim can still win. 

We can help you:

• find out if you have a valid claim
• understand the fine print in your policy
• follow your insurer’s strict claim requirements and meet any time limits
• get you the result you deserve
• minimise the amount of stress you go through.