Home Insurance

Brindabella Insurance Brokers has access to a panel of home insurers, including Allianz, CGU, QBE, Hollard, Blue Zebra, Chubb, and Mansions.

Increasing your excess will lower your annual premium. However, due to the recent frequency of claims from natural weather events, opting for a higher excess could end up costing you more in the long run.

Brindabella Insurance Brokers always recommends a comprehensive accidental damage policy, which automatically covers your jewellery items away from home, subject to policy sublimits and conditions.

Most home insurers have a 60 or 90-day unoccupancy clause, allowing your property to be vacant for this period without affecting your insurance. If you think you’ll exceed this timeframe, please let us know.

Some insurers on our panel offer discounts if you have multiple policies with them. However, as your Insurance Broker, we approach multiple insurers on your behalf. Often, the same insurer might not offer the most competitive rates for all types of coverage. Placing cover with different insurers is usually more cost-effective than having multiple policies with the same insurer.

Monthly instalments are available for home insurance.

Your building sum insured should reflect the replacement cost if the property were completely destroyed, such as by fire. This amount should include professional fees and the cost of debris removal, in addition to the rebuild cost. It is not the market value of your property.

Flood cover is typically included in home insurance policies, with the rare exception of opting out.

Flood is defined as:

The covering of normally dry land by water that has escaped or been released from the normal confines of:

• Any lake
• Any river, creek, or other natural watercourse, whether altered or modified
• Any reservoir, canal, or dam

Most home insurers have a 60 or 90-day unoccupancy clause, allowing your home to be vacant for this period without penalty. If your property remains unoccupied for longer and a claim occurs, you might find yourself uninsured.

Subletting is excluded under a home insurance policy and could void your cover.

Fixed air-conditioning units and ducted systems are considered part of the building. Portable air-conditioning units are considered part of your contents.

Solar panels fall under the building definition. Therefore, your building sum insured should include the cost to replace your solar panels.

If your property is damaged and the damaged area contains asbestos material, your insurer could contribute to the removal costs. It’s important to disclose if your property contains asbestos, as not all insurers will cover it, and claims could be denied because of this.

Removal of Debris covers the costs to clear, remove, or demolish debris from your property following a fire or other insured event. Some insurers automatically include a percentage (10% – 20%) as an additional benefit, while others require you to include this amount in your building sum insured. For a small additional premium, it’s best to include debris removal costs in your building sum insured.

In most instances, if there is damage to your building, you are permitted to take a cash settlement of the repair figure and have the repairs completed by your preferred tradespeople.