Claims
Six steps, and someone rings you at each one.
The claims line is staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year, in Australia. Make safe is arranged within 24 hours of you lodging and you never need to obtain quotes for it.
In an emergency, ring 000 first. Make yourself safe before you make a claim.
How a claim actually moves.
Hover or focus a step to read what happens in it. Below 900 pixels this is a plain ordered list, which is the same markup underneath.
Our products
- Lodge
Call or lodge online. You need the policy number, the date and a description. Photographs help but do not hold up the lodgement.
- Make safe
Emergency work to stop further damage, arranged within 24 hours and usually within 8 in metropolitan postcodes.
- Assess
An assessor inspects the damage and rings you directly. Median time to assessment across all states is 5.2 days.
- Scope
An itemised scope of works showing exactly what will be done and what it will cost. You get a copy.
- Repair or settle
Repair through our network with a lifetime guarantee, use your own repairer, or take a cash settlement.
- Close
Final payment, the excess reconciled, and a written summary of what was paid and why.
From the call to the cheque
Median 5.2 days to assessment on property claims, and 94.1 per cent of claims accepted over the rolling twelve months to June.
Start at step oneEach step, in full.
- Under 10 minutes
Lodge
Ring 1300 767 844 at any hour or lodge online. We take the policy number, the date, what happened and where. You do not need photographs, quotes or a police report to lodge, and waiting to gather them only delays make safe. If a police report is needed for theft or malicious damage we will tell you at this point and give you the reference format your state uses.
- Within 24 hours
Make safe
Make safe is the emergency work that stops the damage getting worse: tarping a roof, boarding a window, isolating power, extracting water. We appoint the contractor and we pay them directly. You never need to obtain quotes for make safe, and it does not affect whether the rest of the claim is accepted.
- Median 5.2 days
Assess
An assessor attends, inspects, and rings you rather than emailing a portal notification. For smaller claims the assessment can be done from photographs, which is faster and we will offer it where it is appropriate. After a catastrophe declaration assessment order is driven by vulnerability and severity, not by lodgement order.
- 2 to 4 days
Scope
The scope of works is the itemised list of everything needed to put the property back the way it was. You get a copy before work starts. If something has been missed, tell your claims manager and the assessor revisits it, which is far easier than disputing a final figure after the fact.
- Varies by trade
Repair or settle
Three routes. We repair through our network, and that repair carries a lifetime guarantee for as long as you own the property. You use your own repairer and we pay to the agreed scope. Or you take the scope as a cash settlement and manage it yourself. A cash settlement ends our obligation for that damage, so check the scope covers everything first.
- Within 5 days of completion
Close
We reconcile the excess, make the final payment and send a written summary of what was paid and on what basis. If you are unhappy with any part of it, our internal dispute resolution responds within 15 business days, and after that AFCA is available to you free of charge.
When a catastrophe is declared
The Insurance Council of Australia declares an insurance catastrophe after a major event. When your postcode is inside one, four things change automatically.
- We contact you. We work the affected postcodes rather than waiting for the phone to ring.
- Make safe goes ahead without quotes. No approval step, no three quotes, no waiting.
- Assessment is ordered by need. Vulnerability and severity, not lodgement order.
- Cancellations are held for 12 months. No policy is cancelled for non-payment in an affected postcode.
Questions about claiming
How quickly will someone come out after a storm?
Make safe is arranged within 24 hours of you lodging, and in most metropolitan postcodes within 8 hours. Make safe is the emergency work that stops further damage, such as tarping a roof or boarding a window. It is not the repair, and you do not need quotes before it happens.
Do I have to get three quotes before you will do anything?
No. We appoint the assessor and, in most cases, the repairer. If you would rather use your own repairer you can, and we will work to their scope of works provided it is reasonable. You never need to obtain quotes for make safe work.
Can I take a cash settlement instead of a repair?
On most property claims, yes. We will show you the scope of works and the amount we would pay a repairer, and you can take that as a cash settlement instead. A cash settlement ends our obligation for that damage, so it is worth checking the scope covers everything before you accept.
What is a scope of works?
It is the itemised list of what needs to be done to put the property back the way it was, prepared by the assessor. You get a copy. If you think something has been missed, tell your claims manager and the assessor will revisit it rather than you having to argue about the final figure later.
Will claiming affect my no-claim bonus?
On motor, an at-fault claim reduces your no-claim bonus by one step at renewal unless you have the rating one for life option, which locks it. A not-at-fault claim where we recover from the other driver does not affect it. On home and contents we do not operate a no-claim bonus, though claims history is one factor in your renewal premium.
If you are not happy with an outcome
Tell us first, on 1300 767 843 or at [email protected]. We respond within 15 business days. If we have not resolved it, or 30 calendar days have passed, you can take it to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority at no cost to you.
External disputes go to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority on 1800 931 678, at afca.org.au, or GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001.
We are bound by the General Insurance Code of Practice, which is monitored and enforced by the Code Governance Committee.
Not a customer yet, but comparing?
Look at the claims process before you look at the premium. It is the part that matters on the day you need it, and it is the part nobody compares.
Consider the PDS and TMD before deciding. Premiums include GST and stamp duty.