Home and Contents Insurance

About This Policy

This policy insures the home you live in, the contents you own, and your legal liability as a householder.

You can insure the building, the contents, or both. The schedule shows which. Personal liability applies to every policy.

Temporary accommodation and the other extensions are part of the section they appear in. Accidental damage, portable contents and specified valuables are added by endorsement.

If you own a lot in a strata scheme, the body corporate insures the building. Insure your contents, and the E07 Strata Lot Owner endorsement covers the fixtures and improvements in your lot that the body corporate does not insure.

This policy, together with your schedule, your proposal and any endorsements shown in the schedule, forms your contract of insurance with us. Please read them together and tell us if anything is incorrect. Where the schedule and this wording differ, the schedule applies. Words with special meanings are listed in the Definitions section.

Version and Document History

This document is version-controlled. The version and date shown on the cover page and in the footer of each page govern this text. The version stated in your schedule as current at the start of the policy period applies for the whole policy period, unless your schedule or an endorsement states otherwise.

Important Information

Who issues this policy. The insurer, its Australian Financial Services Licence and its contact details are shown in the schedule. Where the insurer subscribes to the General Insurance Code of Practice, the schedule says so.

Who this policy is for. This wording is designed for retail clients. An issuer using it must give a Product Disclosure Statement and make a Target Market Determination available, as the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) requires. This wording is not itself a Product Disclosure Statement.

Your duty when you apply. This policy is a consumer insurance contract under the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth). You have a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to us before the policy is entered into, renewed, extended, varied or reinstated. Answer every question in the proposal honestly and completely. If you do not take reasonable care, we may reduce or refuse a claim, or cancel the policy, as that Act allows.

Terms that differ from standard cover. The Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) and the Insurance Contracts Regulations 2017 set standard cover for home building and home contents contracts. This policy gives less cover than standard cover in each of the ways listed here. They are listed so that you are clearly informed of each of them before this policy is entered into.

• flood is covered, but we do not pay for damage by storm or flood in the first 72 hours after this policy first starts, except as the Storm and Flood in the First 72 Hours exclusion allows;
• we do not pay for damage by erosion, subsidence or landslip except as the Earth Movement exclusion allows, or for damage by actions of the sea (see the Action of the Sea exclusion);
• we do not pay to fix a defect, or for damage from gradual causes (see the Defects and Gradual Causes exclusion);
• cover is limited while the home is unoccupied for more than 60 days (see the Unoccupied Home exclusion);
• we do not pay for theft or deliberate damage by a member of your household or a person at the home with your permission (other than a tradesperson), land, loss of market value, replacing undamaged items to make a matching set, a retaining wall not built to the building laws, water entering through an opening made for building works or left open, an order or action of a government or public authority, damage to property while it is being worked on, cleaned or repaired, mechanical or electrical breakdown, or damage by an animal kept at the home (see the Other Property Exclusions exclusion);
• we do not pay for loss, damage or liability caused deliberately by you, by a member of your household or by a person acting with your authority, or arising from illegal activity by you or a member of your household that you knew of or had reason to suspect (see the Deliberate Acts exclusion and the Illegal Use exclusion);
• we do not pay for loss of, damage to or corruption of electronic data, or for loss from unauthorised use of a computer system (see the Electronic Data exclusion);
• we do not pay for loss, damage, liability or cost arising from terrorism, war or nuclear risks (see the Terrorism exclusion, the War exclusion and the Nuclear exclusion);
• we pay no more than the limits in the Limits for Some Contents provision for jewellery and watches, money, documents, contents in the open air, and any one artwork, antique or collection, unless the schedule specifies an item;
• we pay for an item that is one of a pair or set only for the item damaged, and if we cannot find matching materials we replace materials only in the room or area where the damage happened (see the How We Settle Contents Claims provision and the How We Settle Building Claims provision);
• the extensions to each section are limited as each states, including emergency repairs, spoiled food, guests' and domestic workers' property, keys and locks, landscaping and fire services charges;
• temporary accommodation is limited as the Temporary Accommodation extension sets out;
• contents away from the home are covered only as the Contents Away From the Home extension and the E03 Portable Contents endorsement provide.

[WP REVIEW: confirm that this list, given before the policy is entered into, clearly informs the insured of each departure from standard cover under s.35 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) and the Insurance Contracts Regulations 2017, which of the listed terms the Regulations permit (a term they do not permit is overridden by standard cover and must be removed or amended), and that the Key Facts Sheets match it.]

Key Facts Sheet. A Key Facts Sheet for the Home Building section and one for the Contents section are given with this policy, as the law requires.

Cooling-off period. You may cancel this policy within 21 days of the date it starts, and within 21 days of each renewal, by telling us in writing. If you have not made a claim, we will refund the full premium paid for that period, less any non-refundable government charges we cannot recover. After that, you may still cancel under the Cancellation condition.

Commission and fees. The schedule or the quote shows any commission or fee paid to your broker in connection with this policy.

Financial Claims Scheme. If the schedule shows the insurer is an APRA-authorised general insurer, you may be entitled to a payment under the Financial Claims Scheme if the insurer becomes insolvent. Information is available at www.fcs.gov.au.

Schedule

(Completed separately for each policy. It contains your specific details.)

The schedule shows:

• Your name, and the name of anyone else insured
• The address of the home, and whether it is a house, a townhouse or a lot in a strata scheme
• The policy period, with its start and end dates
• The sections that apply, with the building sum insured and the contents sum insured
• The basic excess, and any flood or earthquake excess
• The limits of the extensions, where they differ from the defaults stated in them
• Any specified valuables and portable contents, with their values
• Any interested party, such as a financier
• The premium, including stamp duty, any emergency services levy, and GST
• Any commission or fee paid to your broker
• The insurer and its licence, and the state or territory whose law governs this policy (see the Governing Law condition)
• The endorsements that apply, by code, with their variables

Definitions

In this policy, the words below have these meanings wherever they appear, whatever their capitalisation. The singular includes the plural.

Home Building

This section applies if the schedule shows it. The schedule shows the building sum insured and the basic excess.

Damage to the Building

If the building suffers damage during the policy period caused by an insured event, we will pay to repair or rebuild it, as set out in the How We Settle Building Claims provision.

The insured events are:

• fire, including bushfire, and smoke and soot from a fire;
• lightning, and power surge caused by lightning;
• explosion;
• storm, and rainwater or water run-off that enters the building because of a storm;
• flood;
• earthquake and tsunami;
• escape of liquid from a fixed pipe, drain, tank, appliance, toilet, bath, shower base or waterbed, or from an aquarium, or of oil from a fixed heating system;
• theft or attempted theft by a person who is not a member of your household and is not at the home with your permission;
• malicious damage by a person who is not a member of your household;
• impact by a vehicle, aircraft, watercraft, falling tree or branch, power pole, aerial, satellite dish, or space debris;
• riot or civil commotion;
• glass breakage of fixed glass in the building, including glass in a cooktop or oven;
• accidental discharge of a fire sprinkler or extinguisher.

The most we will pay for any one event is the building sum insured, plus the amounts the extensions to this section say are payable in addition.

How We Settle Building Claims

Repair or rebuild. We pay the cost of repairing or rebuilding the damaged part of the building to a condition substantially the same as, but not better or more extensive than, its condition when new, using current materials and methods. We may choose to arrange the repair ourselves, or to pay you the reasonable cost of the repair. We do not deduct for wear, tear or depreciation.

Costs included. The cost of repairing or rebuilding includes the reasonable cost of demolishing and removing debris, and the fees of architects, engineers, surveyors and other professionals needed to repair or rebuild, and the extra cost of complying with the building laws in force at the time of repair for the damaged part of the building.

Safety net. If the building is destroyed and the cost of rebuilding is more than the building sum insured, we pay up to 20% more than the building sum insured, or the higher percentage shown in the schedule, provided the building sum insured was your reasonable estimate of the rebuilding cost when this policy started or was last renewed.

Matching materials. If we cannot find materials that match the undamaged parts, we pay to replace the materials in the room or area where the damage happened, and not elsewhere.

When you do not rebuild. If you do not repair or rebuild, or the law does not allow it, we pay what it would have cost us to repair or rebuild at the date of the damage, up to the building sum insured.

No under-insurance penalty. We do not reduce a claim because the building sum insured is less than the full rebuilding cost.

Temporary Accommodation

If damage covered by the Home Building section makes the home unfit to live in, we pay the reasonable cost of temporary accommodation of a similar standard for your household and pets, and the reasonable cost of moving and storing your contents, until the home is fit to live in again.

The most we pay for any one event is 10% of the building sum insured, for up to 12 months, or the higher limit and period shown in the schedule. These limits are in addition to the building sum insured.

If the repair takes longer because of a delay caused by us or by a builder we appointed, we pay for the extra time the delay causes, up to a further 5% of the building sum insured. If your home is a lot in a strata scheme and the body corporate's building is damaged, this extension applies to your lot as if this section applied.

Emergency Repairs and Temporary Protection

After damage covered by this section, we pay the reasonable cost of emergency repairs, temporary fencing, boarding up and other measures needed to prevent further damage or to make the property safe, up to the limit shown in the schedule (default $5,000) for any one event. This amount is in addition to the building sum insured. Keep the invoices and photographs of the damage.

Keys and Locks

If a key to an external door or window lock of the home is stolen, or a lock is damaged by an insured event, we pay the reasonable cost to replace or re-key the affected locks, up to the limit shown in the schedule (default $1,000) for any one event. This amount is in addition to the building sum insured.

Trees, Plants and Landscaping

We pay the reasonable cost to replace trees, shrubs, plants and lawns at the home damaged by an insured event other than storm, flood or escape of liquid, and to remove a fallen tree or branch that has damaged the building or blocks access to it, up to the limit shown in the schedule (default $10,000) for any one event. This amount is in addition to the building sum insured.

Fire Services Charges

We pay any charge a fire or emergency service lawfully makes for attending the home because of an insured event, up to the limit shown in the schedule (default $10,000) for any one event. This amount is in addition to the building sum insured.

Motor Burnout

We pay to repair or replace an electric motor in the building or in your contents, including a motor in a pool pump, air conditioner, refrigerator or washing machine, that burns out during the policy period, if the motor is less than 15 years old. The most we pay for any one motor is the limit shown in the schedule (default $15,000), and the motor burnout excess shown in the schedule (default $250) applies. We do not pay for a motor while the manufacturer's guarantee covers it, or for a motor in a submersible pump.

Mortgage Discharge Costs

If the building is destroyed and we pay the building sum insured, we pay the reasonable legal costs of discharging a mortgage over the home, up to the limit shown in the schedule (default $5,000).

Contents

This section applies if the schedule shows it. The schedule shows the contents sum insured and the basic excess.

Damage to Your Contents

If your contents suffer damage at the home during the policy period caused by an insured event listed in the Damage to the Building clause, we will repair or replace them, as set out in the How We Settle Contents Claims provision.

The most we will pay for any one event is the contents sum insured, subject to the Limits for Some Contents provision.

How We Settle Contents Claims

We pay the cost of repairing the damaged item, or of replacing it with a new item of the same kind and quality, whichever is less. We do not deduct for wear, tear or depreciation. Where an item is one of a pair or set, we pay only for the item damaged, and not for the rest of the set, unless the rest cannot reasonably be used without it.

Limits for Some Contents

Unless the schedule specifies the item under the E06 Specified Valuables endorsement, the most we pay for any one event is:

The schedule may show different limits.

Contents Away From the Home

We cover your contents for damage by an insured event while they are:

• at another home you are moving to, for 30 days after you start moving, and in transit by a professional removalist, up to the contents sum insured;
• at a residence where a dependent child of your household lives while studying in Australia, up to the limit shown in the schedule (default $10,000);
• in a locked room at a bank or storage facility in Australia, up to 10% of the contents sum insured.

Contents carried with you away from the home are covered only if the E03 Portable Contents endorsement applies.

Spoiled Food and Medicine

We pay for food and medicine in a fridge or freezer at the home that spoils because the fridge or freezer breaks down, or because the electricity supply fails for more than 24 hours, up to the limit shown in the schedule (default $2,000) for any one event.

Guests' and Domestic Workers' Property

We cover property at the home owned by a visitor or a domestic worker, for damage by an insured event, up to the limit shown in the schedule (default $2,000) for any one event. The Other Insurance provision applies.

Temporary Accommodation for Contents-Only Policies

If the Home Building section does not apply and damage by an insured event makes the home unfit to live in, we pay the reasonable cost of temporary accommodation of a similar standard for your household, and of moving and storing your contents, until the home is fit to live in again or your tenancy ends, up to 10% of the contents sum insured, for up to 12 months. If you rent the home, we pay only the amount by which the temporary accommodation costs more than the rent you no longer have to pay.

What the Home Building and Contents Sections Do Not Cover

These exclusions apply to the Home Building and Contents sections.

Storm and Flood in the First 72 Hours

We do not pay for damage by storm or flood that happens in the first 72 hours after this policy first starts. This exclusion does not apply if this policy started immediately after another policy covering the home for storm and flood expired without a break, or if you bought the home within 72 hours before this policy started.

Defects and Gradual Causes

We do not pay for:

• the cost of fixing a defect in the design, workmanship or materials of the building;
• wear and tear, rust, corrosion, rot, mould, mildew or gradual deterioration;
• damage that happens gradually over time, including from water or moisture seeping, leaking or condensing over a period, unless you did not know of it and could not reasonably have known of it;
• damage caused by insects, vermin or tree roots.

We do pay for damage to other parts of the building that results suddenly and accidentally from a defect or from one of these causes, for example a ceiling that collapses because a pipe bursts.

Earth Movement

We do not pay for damage caused by erosion, subsidence, settling, shrinkage, expansion, landslide, landslip, mudslide or other movement of the earth. We do pay for such damage if it happens within 72 hours of, and as a direct result of, an earthquake, a storm, a flood, the escape of liquid from a pipe or tank, or an explosion.

Action of the Sea

We do not pay for damage caused by action of the sea.

Unoccupied Home

If the home has been unoccupied for more than 60 consecutive days, we pay for damage that happens after that only if it is caused by fire, lightning, explosion, earthquake or impact, unless the E11 Unoccupied Home endorsement applies. Cover is restored when a member of your household returns to live in the home.

Other Property Exclusions

Under the Home Building and Contents sections, we do not pay for:

• theft by, or damage caused deliberately by, a member of your household or a person at the home with your permission, other than a tradesperson;
• land, or the cost of stabilising or improving land;
• loss of market value, or the cost of replacing undamaged items to make a matching set;
• damage to a retaining wall that is not built to the standard of the building laws in force when it was built;
• damage by water entering the building through an opening made for building works, or through a door, window or opening left open;
• damage caused by a lawful order or action of a government or public authority, other than to prevent the spread of fire or other damage;
• damage to property while it is being worked on, cleaned or repaired, if the damage results from the work;
• mechanical or electrical breakdown, other than as the Motor Burnout extension provides;
• damage by an animal kept at the home, other than damage to the building by a domestic pet that is sudden and not caused by chewing, scratching or soiling.

The Joint Insureds condition applies to the first exclusion in this list.

Personal Liability

This section applies to every policy. The schedule shows the limit of liability.

Liability as a Householder

We will pay the amount a member of your household becomes legally liable to pay as compensation for personal injury or property damage that happens during the policy period in Australia, caused by an occurrence:

• at the home, in connection with your ownership or occupation of it; or
• anywhere in Australia, in connection with the personal activities of a member of your household.

Limit. The most we pay for all compensation arising from one occurrence is the limit of liability shown in the schedule (default $20,000,000). All personal injury and property damage arising from one source or original cause is one occurrence.

Defence costs. In addition to the limit, we pay the reasonable legal costs we incur or approve in defending or settling a claim covered by this section, and interest on a judgment up to the date we pay or offer to pay it.

Settlement. We may take over and conduct the defence or settlement of any claim in your name. We may at any time pay you the limit, less any amount already paid, and then we have no further obligation for that occurrence except for defence costs already incurred.

Your Household

We do not pay for personal injury to a member of your household, or damage to property owned by, or in the care or control of, a member of your household.

Workers

We do not pay for personal injury to a person employed by you that arises out of their employment, where you are required by law to insure that liability under a workers compensation scheme, or would be but for an exemption.

Contractual Liability

We do not pay for liability you agreed to under a contract, to the extent it is more than the liability you would have had without the contract.

Vehicles, Aircraft and Watercraft

We do not pay for liability arising from the use of a vehicle that is registered or required to be registered, or of an aircraft or a watercraft longer than 8 metres. This exclusion does not apply to a ride-on mower, mobility scooter, or e-bike that does not need registration.

Pollution

We do not pay for liability arising from the discharge, dispersal or escape of pollutants, unless it is sudden, identifiable, unintended and unexpected, and happens at a specific time and place during the policy period.

Asbestos

We do not pay for liability arising from asbestos, or from any material containing asbestos.

Business and Professional Activities

We do not pay for liability arising from a business, trade or profession of a member of your household, or from letting the home or any part of it, unless the E04 Home Business endorsement or the E05 Short-Stay Letting endorsement applies.

Fines and Penalties

We do not pay fines, penalties, or punitive, exemplary or aggravated damages.

How Claims Are Paid

This applies to every section.

Excess

You pay the basic excess shown in the schedule for each claim under the Home Building and Contents sections. If one event gives rise to claims under both sections, only one basic excess is deducted.

The schedule may show a separate excess for damage by flood (see the E02 Flood Excess endorsement) or by earthquake. That excess replaces the basic excess for that damage. The motor burnout excess applies as the Motor Burnout extension sets out. No excess applies to the Personal Liability section.

GST and Claims

Where you are entitled to an input tax credit for the GST on the cost of a repair or replacement, we pay the claim net of that credit. Each sum insured and limit in this policy includes GST to the extent you are not entitled to an input tax credit for it.

Other Insurance

If a loss covered by this policy is also covered by another insurance policy, we will not refuse or reduce our payment because of that other insurance. We may seek contribution from the other insurer as the law allows. This does not apply where the schedule or an endorsement states that this policy is excess of a specified underlying policy, in which case this policy pays only after the limit of that specified policy is exhausted.

Who We Pay

We pay you, or as you direct. Where an interested party is shown in the schedule, we pay as the schedule requires. We may pay a repairer or supplier directly.

General Exclusions

These exclusions apply to every section.

Deliberate Acts

We do not pay for any loss, damage or liability caused deliberately by you, by a member of your household, or by a person acting with your authority. The Joint Insureds condition applies.

Illegal Use

We do not pay for any loss, damage or liability arising from illegal activity at the home by you or by a member of your household, that you knew of, or had reason to suspect, and did not take reasonable steps to stop. Illegal activity by someone else, such as a burglar, does not affect your cover. The Joint Insureds condition applies.

War

We do not pay for any loss, damage, liability or cost arising from war, invasion, act of foreign enemy, hostilities or warlike operations (whether war is declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection, military or usurped power, or confiscation by a government or public authority.

Nuclear

We do not pay for any loss, damage, liability or cost arising from ionising radiation, contamination by radioactivity from nuclear fuel or waste, or nuclear weapons material.

Terrorism

We do not pay for any loss, damage, liability or cost arising from an act of terrorism, meaning an act, including the use of force or violence or the threat of it, by any person or group, committed for political, religious, ideological or similar purposes, including the intention to influence a government or to put the public in fear. This exclusion does not apply to the extent the Terrorism Insurance Act 2003 (Cth) requires cover to be provided.

Electronic Data

We do not pay for loss of, damage to or corruption of electronic data, or for loss arising from unauthorised use of a computer system, other than physical damage to the building or contents by a resulting fire or explosion. Unauthorised use means use of a computer system by a person not permitted by its owner to use it.

Your Obligations

Telling Us About a Claim

Tell us as soon as reasonably practicable after damage or an occurrence that may lead to a claim, and tell the police promptly about any theft or malicious damage.

Give us the information and documents we reasonably ask for to assess the claim, including proof of ownership or value for contents, and allow us to inspect the damaged property before it is repaired, unless emergency repairs are needed under the Emergency Repairs and Temporary Protection extension.

Reducing Loss

Take reasonable steps to prevent further damage or loss, keep the property in a reasonable state of repair, and keep damaged property and evidence until we have had a reasonable opportunity to inspect it.

Admissions

Do not admit liability for, or agree to settle, a claim under the Personal Liability section without our written agreement, which we will not unreasonably withhold. Co-operate with us in the defence of the claim.

Telling Us About Changes

Tell us during the policy period, as soon as reasonably practicable, if:

• the home will be unoccupied for more than 60 consecutive days;
• you start or plan building works costing more than $50,000, or works that affect the structure of the building;
• you let the home, or any part of it, or start a business at the home other than a home office;
• you move.

We will tell you whether the change affects your cover or premium. The Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) condition applies.

Our Right of Recovery

After we pay a claim, we may take over your rights to recover the amount from anyone else, and act in your name. Help us do so, at our cost. We will not exercise a right of recovery against a member of your household, or a guest, unless they caused the loss deliberately.

General Conditions

Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth)

Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts or modifies the operation of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth). Where this policy is inconsistent with the Act, the Act prevails.

If this policy would otherwise let us refuse to pay a claim, in whole or in part, because of something you did or did not do after this policy was entered into, section 54 of the Act applies. We may not refuse to pay the claim only because of that act or omission. Our liability is reduced by the amount that fairly represents the extent to which our interests were prejudiced. Where the act or omission could reasonably be regarded as capable of causing or contributing to the loss, we may refuse to pay only the part of the claim that the act or omission caused or contributed to. We may not refuse any part that you prove the act or omission did not cause. This applies to every condition, exclusion, limit and obligation in this policy, not only to the claims conditions.

Joint Insureds

Where more than one person is named in the schedule as the insured, this policy applies to each of them separately.

A fraud, deliberate act, illegal activity or failure to comply with this policy by one of them, or by a member of your household who is not named as an insured, does not affect the cover of any named insured who did not know of it, did not take part in it and did not consent to it.

Cancellation

You may cancel this policy at any time by telling us. If you cancel within the cooling-off period in the Important Information section, we refund the premium as that section states. Otherwise we refund the premium for the unexpired policy period on a pro-rata basis, less any non-refundable government charges. If we have paid a total loss of the building, or of an item of contents, no refund applies to that building or item.

We may cancel this policy only as the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) allows, by giving you written notice as that Act requires, which is at least 30 days' written notice or any longer notice the Act requires. We refund the premium for the unexpired policy period on a pro-rata basis. [WP REVIEW: confirm the notice an insurer must give to cancel a home building and contents contract, including whether s 60 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) applies as well as s 59.]

Cancellation does not affect a claim for damage, or an occurrence that happened before cancellation.

Renewal

Each renewal is a new contract. Before this policy ends, we will tell you whether we offer to renew it and on what terms, as s.58 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) requires. We are not obliged to offer renewal.

Fraud

If a claim is made fraudulently, we may refuse to pay it, as s.56 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) allows.

Sanctions

We do not provide cover, pay any claim or provide any benefit under this policy to the extent that doing so would expose us to any sanction, prohibition or restriction under:

• the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth), the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 (Cth), or regulations made under either Act; or
• the trade or economic sanctions laws of the United Kingdom, the United States of America or the European Union, to the extent they apply to us.

[WP REVIEW: confirm that naming the UK, US and EU regimes is appropriate for Australian capacity; this is a deliberate library-wide scope choice.]

GST

The premium includes GST where it applies, under A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (Cth). Claims are paid as the GST and Claims provision sets out. Tell us your entitlement to input tax credits when you make a claim.

Privacy

We collect, use and disclose personal information about you and your household to assess the proposal, administer this policy and manage claims, in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our privacy policy. Our privacy policy explains how a person can access and correct their information and how to complain about a privacy matter.

Disputes and Complaints

If you are unhappy with our service or a decision, contact us at the details in the schedule. We will acknowledge the complaint within one business day and give our decision within 30 calendar days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, or we have not responded within 30 calendar days, you may take the complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), a free and independent dispute resolution service: www.afca.org.au, 1800 931 678, info@afca.org.au.

Governing Law

This policy is governed by the law of the Australian state or territory in which the home is located.

Jurisdiction

You and we submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the state or territory whose law governs this policy, and of any court that may hear appeals from them.

Headings and References

Headings are for convenience only. A reference to legislation includes any legislation that amends or replaces it. A reference to a clause by its heading is a reference to that clause as it appears in this wording.

How to Make a Claim

1. Make the home safe and arrange emergency repairs if needed (see the Emergency Repairs and Temporary Protection extension).
2. Contact your broker, or contact us directly at the details shown in the schedule.
3. Tell the police about any theft or malicious damage, and get the report number.
4. Tell us what happened and when, and give us photographs, receipts, quotes and invoices.
5. If the home is unfit to live in, tell us straight away so that we can arrange temporary accommodation.
6. We will acknowledge your claim, keep you informed, and tell you our decision as the General Insurance Code of Practice requires where the insurer subscribes to it.

Endorsement Library

An endorsement applies only if its code is shown in the schedule. Each endorsement changes this policy only as it states, and is read together with the variables shown for it in the schedule. Where an endorsement and the rest of this policy conflict, the endorsement applies to the extent of the conflict. If a variable an endorsement needs is not shown in the schedule, the default stated in the endorsement applies; if it has no default, the endorsement does not apply until we show the variable in the schedule.

E01 Accidental Damage

We cover sudden and accidental damage to the building and the contents at the home, as if it were an insured event listed in the Damage to the Building clause. Every other term of the Home Building and Contents sections applies, and the jewellery and watch limit in the Limits for Some Contents provision is $5,000 an item.

We do not pay under this endorsement for damage to a television, computer or other screen caused by it being dropped while being carried, for chipping, scratching or denting that does not affect how the item works, or for loss of property that is misplaced.

Schedule variables: none.

E02 Flood Excess

For damage caused by flood, the flood excess shown in the schedule for this endorsement applies in place of the basic excess. Flood remains covered.

Schedule variables: flood excess (no default).

E03 Portable Contents

We cover the contents a member of your household carries or wears away from the home, anywhere in Australia, for loss or damage by any sudden and accidental cause, up to the portable contents limit shown in the schedule for this endorsement for all unspecified items together, and $1,000 for any one item. Items specified under the E06 Specified Valuables endorsement are covered anywhere in the world.

We do not pay for property left unattended in a public place, or in an unlocked vehicle, for mobile phones damaged by being dropped unless the screen is the only damage, or for sporting equipment while in use.

Schedule variables: portable contents limit (default $3,000).

E04 Home Business

A member of your household carries on the business described in the schedule for this endorsement at the home. Business equipment and stock at the home are contents, up to the business contents limit shown in the schedule for this endorsement. The Business and Professional Activities exclusion does not apply to liability arising from that business at the home, other than liability for professional advice or for products sold.

Schedule variables: business description; business contents limit (default $10,000).

E05 Short-Stay Letting

You may let the home, or part of it, for stays of less than three months while your household is away, for up to the number of nights a year shown in the schedule for this endorsement. Theft and malicious damage by a guest are covered, subject to the special excess shown in the schedule for this endorsement, and the Business and Professional Activities exclusion does not apply to that letting.

Schedule variables: nights a year (default 60); special excess (default $1,000).

E06 Specified Valuables

Each item listed in the schedule for this endorsement is covered for its stated value, in place of the limits in the Limits for Some Contents provision, for loss or damage by any sudden and accidental cause, anywhere in the world. We may replace the item, or pay its stated value or the cost of replacement, whichever is less.

Schedule variables: each item, its description and its stated value.

E07 Strata Lot Owner

The home is a lot in a strata scheme. Fixtures and improvements in the lot that you own and that the body corporate does not insure, such as floor coverings, internal paint and built-in fittings you added, are contents. If the body corporate recovers from you the excess under its building policy for damage to the lot that this policy would have covered, we pay that excess, up to the limit shown in the schedule for this endorsement.

Schedule variables: body corporate excess limit (default $5,000).

E08 Agreed Value

The building is insured for the agreed value shown in the schedule for this endorsement. If the building is destroyed, we pay the agreed value, whatever the cost of rebuilding, and the safety net in the How We Settle Building Claims provision does not apply. For partial damage, the How We Settle Building Claims provision applies up to the agreed value.

Schedule variables: agreed value (no default); date of valuation.

E09 Heritage-Listed Home

The building is listed on a heritage register. We pay the extra cost of repairing heritage features using the methods and materials the heritage authority requires, up to the heritage limit shown in the schedule for this endorsement, in addition to the building sum insured.

Schedule variables: heritage limit (default 10% of the building sum insured).

E10 Building Works

Building works described in the schedule for this endorsement may be carried out at the home. The Unoccupied Home exclusion does not apply while the works are under way and a builder licensed for them is responsible for the site. We do not pay for damage to the works themselves, to materials not yet fixed to the building, or for damage that results from the works.

Schedule variables: description and contract value of the works; expected completion date.

E11 Unoccupied Home

The Unoccupied Home exclusion does not apply until the date shown in the schedule for this endorsement, provided someone inspects the home at least every 14 days and keeps it secure.

Schedule variables: date cover for unoccupancy ends (no default).

E12 Interested Party

The interest of the party named in the schedule for this endorsement is noted. Noting an interest does not make that party an insured and gives it no right to claim, but we will tell it if this policy is cancelled, if you agree that we may do so.

Schedule variables: interested party name and interest.

E13 Lloyd's Underwriters

This policy is underwritten by the Lloyd's underwriters named in the schedule. Each underwriter is liable only for its own share, and not for the share of any other underwriter.

The underwriters agree that any dispute about this policy may be heard by a court of competent jurisdiction in Australia, and that the Lloyd's General Representative in Australia named in the schedule may accept service of process for them. Complaints may also be made to Lloyd's Australia at the details shown in the schedule, as well as under the Disputes and Complaints condition.

Schedule variables: underwriters and their shares; Lloyd's General Representative; Lloyd's complaints contact.

Licence and Trademark Notice

This wording's text is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). The licence applies to the wording text only. It does not extend to, and no licence is granted in, the "Meridian" name, the Cuttleflow Systems name, logo, bearing mark, or any other trademark, trade dress, or brand asset, all of which remain the property of their respective owners and may not be used without separate permission.

An adopting insurer's own schedule, proposal, endorsements and other materials prepared for use with this wording are not required to be released under CC BY 4.0 merely because they are used together with this wording; CC BY 4.0 requires only that you attribute the wording text you use.

This wording is provided for general use and adaptation. Adopting insurers and their advisers are responsible for obtaining their own legal, regulatory, and reinsurance advice before use, including on the Product Disclosure Statement, Key Facts Sheets and Target Market Determination. Use of this wording requires the approval of the relevant capacity provider. Any Wording Partner review and sign-off letter issued in respect of this wording runs to Cuttleflow Pty Ltd t/a Cuttleflow Systems only and does not constitute legal advice to any adopting insurer or insured.

Designed for the Australian market. Assumes application of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth). Users are responsible for their own legal review, regulatory compliance, and reinsurance alignment.