Home insurance updates

Increase of cancellation fee from $22 to $30 (inclusive of GST).

Update to how you can add or remove an Authorised Person to your policy and what they are able to do on your behalf.

New responsibility to notify us during the contract period about changes to how or whether the home is occupied. 

During your contract period you must notify us as soon as practically possible if: 

• the occupancy type of the premises changes; for example, if it has or will become unoccupied (including if trespassers or squatters occupy the premises);

Insertion of the terms ‘injury’, ‘relating’, and ‘or contents’. 

You must take all reasonable precautions to prevent or reduce injury, loss or damage relating to any insured property, even after an incident covered by your policy; for example, locking and securing your buildings and/or contents, cleaning up spillages or excess water, and keeping your property in good condition.

Reports and inspections must be performed “on the entire rental property”. 
 
You or your agent must: 

• complete entry and exit reports on the entire rental property, with supporting photographs, for every tenancy; 
• complete internal and external inspections of the entire rental property during the lease period at a minimum of 6-monthly intervals; 
• keep a written record of the outcome of each report and inspection, and provide us with a copy of the record if we request it;

Inspections must be performed “on the entire rental property” and “with every change of tenancy”. 

You or your agent must: 

• complete internal and external inspections of the entire rental property at a minimum of 3-monthly intervals and with every change of tenancy; and 
• keep a written record of the outcome of each inspection and provide us with a copy of the record if we request it.

The general exclusion of “loose surfaces of paths or driveways” is replaced by a clearer exclusion within the definition of ‘building/s’. This exclusion means that unsealed or unpaved driveways and paths are not covered by the policy, except in relation to your legal liability in connection with you owning the premises. 

Building/s excludes:  

• unsealed or unpaved driveways and paths; for example, dirt or gravel driveways; 

Insertion of clause for lockable structures. 

(Also see items below: What do these words mean? Contents, and Extra Cover: 13. Contents Outside) 

A common area also includes any lockable structures located in this area.

Insertion of “integrated appliances which are not hard wired to the buildings”. 

Contents also includes: 

• integrated appliances which are not hard wired to the buildings;

Insertion of “including a collection”. 

(Also see item below: General exclusions .4) 

Pair/s or set/s means related or similar items that belong together, including a collection.

Insertion of “government agency or government approved organisation” (for example, the NDIS). 

Tenant/s means a person or group (and anyone else who normally lives at the premises with them) who rents and has been granted the right to occupy the premises from a landlord, government agency or government approved organisation.

Introduction of a definition for the term ‘vehicle’ for where it occurs throughout the PDS. 

Vehicle/s means any type of machine on wheels, or on self-laid or caterpillar tracks, made or intended to be propelled by any means other than manual power, and any trailer or other attachment made or intended to be drawn by any such machine.

Formerly excluded at General Exclusions, exclusion now stated in Insured events: Escaping Water. 

(Also see items below: Insured Events: 11. Animal Damage, and General exclusions .13 and .14) 

What is not covered? 

Loss or damage: 

• caused by, resulting or arising from pets or other animals kept at or allowed onto the premises (except where Optional Cover: Contents Accidental Loss or Damage or Optional Cover: Buildings Accidental Damage has been added to your policy);

Insertion of “resulting or arising from” and “lizards, amphibians, rodents”. 

(Also see items above and below: Insured Events: 8. Escaping Water, and General exclusions .13 and .14) 

What is not covered? 

Loss or damage caused by, resulting or arising from: 

• insects, lizards, amphibians, rodents or vermin (except where covered under the insured events of Fire or Escaping Water).

Where you are the owner occupier on either a Buildings policy or a strata title Contents policy, the limit for what you can claim for your temporary accommodation has reduced from 12% to 10% of the sum insured.

Mobility scooters and wheelchairs are contents covered for motor burnout, while personal transportation devices (such as electric bicycles) are not. 

What is covered? 

For your contents cover, the motors must form part of the household appliances, a mobility scooter or a wheelchair at the premises. 

What is not covered? 

Loss or damage to burnt out electric motors if the motor is:  

• part of a personal transportation device;

Addition of two new exclusions. 

What is not covered? 

Loss or damage to:  

• your buildings or contents caused by accidentally broken glass or ceramics. 

Breakages such as scratches, chips or cracks, that do not extend through the entire thickness of the item.

Insertion of “in a common area’. 

(Also see items above: What do these words mean? Common area, and Contents) 

What is covered? 

Loss or damage caused by an insured event to contents located: 

• in a common area;

Change in name of cover only (formerly was Cover While You Move).

This extra cover is no longer included with new or renewed policies.

This extra cover is no longer included with new or renewed policies.

The former exclusions of any amounts or costs “you are allowed to deduct from the bond” have been replaced with four weeks rent reduction. 

Any claim for an incident under Lessee/Tenant Default and Damage will be reduced by an amount equal to four weeks of the weekly rental amount noted on the lease. 

This means that if you make a claim for Lessee/Tenant Default and Damage, you will need to have incurred a loss amount  greater than four weeks of the weekly rental amount before you have cover.

Change to the name of specified event from “Absconding” to “Leaving without notice” and clarification of what it means. 

What is covered? 

Leaving without notice: where your lessee permanently vacates the buildings without giving notice as required under the lease.

Insertion of “unless it is through a government agency or government approved organisation” (for example, the NDIS). 

What is not covered? 

Loss or damage: 

• where the premises is sub-let, unless it is through a government agency or government approved organisation.

The $1,000 per item limit has been removed. Now subject only to the total claim limit. 

The most we will pay for each claim is $5,000 after excess.

This optional cover is no longer available with new or renewed policies. If you previously had this cover selected, it is not included in your renewal offer.

This new exclusion replaces a former definition of “collection” and a former statement under Matching Materials. 

(Also see item above: What do these words mean? pair/s or set/s). 

We will not pay for: 

4. remaining or undamaged contents items that form part of a pair or set, unless: 

• the pair or set is a group of objects which together has a greater market value than the total of each object when valued separately; and 
• the item that you are claiming for cannot be repaired or replaced.

Revised (with insertion of “resulting or arising from”) and applies to any animal, except for where covered under the stated insured events and optional covers. 

We will not pay for loss or damage: 

13. caused by, resulting or arising from any animal, except for: 

• where covered under the insured events of Fire, Escaping Water or Animal Damage; or 
• accidental damage caused by pets or other animals kept at or allowed onto the premises, where Optional Cover: Contents Accidental Loss or Damage or Optional Cover: Buildings Accidental Damage has been added to your policy;

Introduction of a new exclusion. 

We will not pay for loss or damage: 

14. caused by, resulting or arising from any animal (unless it is a bird accidentally trapped inside the buildings) chewing, biting, pecking, clawing, scratching or tearing, or their urine or excrement; except where covered under the insured event of Fire.

Revised with insertion of ‘horticultural materials’. 

We will not pay for loss or damage: 

19. to plants, trees, shrubs, grass, lawn, garden beds, or horticultural materials;

Revised to also be subject to “or legal liability caused by, resulting or arising from”. 

We will not pay for loss, damage or legal liability caused by, resulting or arising from: 

25. the growth of plants or trees, including their roots or limbs, except for loss or damage under the insured event of Escaping Water;

Revised to apply to property of any type, rather than just property that you have insured. 

We will not pay for death or bodily injury to any person, or loss or damage to property, caused by, resulting or arising from: 

41. a process or system of cleaning, restoring, modifying, or repairing property;

Update to how you can add or remove an Authorised Person to your claim and what they are able to do on your behalf.

Introduction of a new excess. 

Delayed notification storm excesses

An additional excess applies if a claim is made on your buildings policy under the insured event of Storm more than 90 days after the incident occurred. The excess amount will be shown on your policy schedule.