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Definitions

• What is included under the Building insurance policy?
• What is not included under the Building insurance policy?
• What is included under the Contents insurance policy?
• What is not included under the Contents insurance policy
• Who is covered by the policy?
• What is accidental damage?
• What is an excess?

Sum insured

• How much should I insure my building for?
• How much should I insure my contents for?

Premiums

• How are premiums calculated?
• How can I reduce my premium?
• Do I get a no claim bonus on my policy?
• Can I cancel my policy at any time?

Cover

• Are my contents covered if I take them outside the building?
• Will my building and contents be covered while I am away on holidays?
• Is my building covered during renovations?
• What is Legal Liability? Am I covered for it?

Claims and dispute resolution

• How are claims paid?
• In the event of a claim, what proof do I need to prove the value and ownership of the property that I am claiming for? Should I keep an inventory of my contents?
• What do I do if I have a complaint or dispute?

Definitions
Westpac General Insurance defines a "building" or "home" as a residential dwelling, flat, unit or town house on the site

This includes:

• other structures such as garages, carports, sheds and other domestic outbuildings
• any permanently fixed domestic apparatus, fixtures and fittings
• all services on the site
• walls, fences, gates, decks, patios, balconies, paths and driveways
• tanks that store heating oil, gas or water
• rooms within the building used as a home office
• equipment permanently connected to gas, plumbing, sewerage, drainage or electrical systems or communication installations which you own or are legally responsible for
• permanently fixed swimming pools, saunas, spas and tennis courts including their fixed fittings and fixed accessories
• fixed wall and floor coverings other than carpets
• fixed external blinds, awnings and screens
• wharves, jetties or pontoons.

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What is not included under the building insurance policy?
The building cover does not include:

• landscaping, plants, shrubs, trees and potted plants (unless stated otherwise)
• outdoor decorations
• any structure used for commercial purposes on the site (other than as a room within the home that is used as a home office)
• buildings used for business or commercial purposes
• sites used for farming activity
• buildings located on sites exceeding 10 acres
• display homes, guest houses, houseboats, caravans, or mobile homes (fixed or freestanding)
• Internal window coverings (unless stated otherwise).

What is included under the contents insurance policy?
Westpac General Insurance defines contents as;
Domestic items that you own or are legally responsible for and which you normally keep in a building at the site.

This includes;

• carpets
• internal window coverings
• wheelchairs, mobility scooters, golf buggies, ride-on lawn mowers, or children's ride-on toys
• mini-bikes (up to 50cc)
• music or software that has been purchased and/or downloaded legally
• surfboards, sailboards, surf-skis, canoes and kayaks
• personal handheld navigational equipment
• hearing aids, dentures, prosthetics
• a fixture or fitting installed by you as a tenant
• a fixture or fitting owned by your landlord at the site and for which you are liable as a tenant in the terms of a lease or similar agreement
• a fixture or structural improvement in a strata title home unit at the site that is not insured under the building insurance policy of the body corporate
• items manufactured for use in the open air including above ground swimming pools which are not permanently fixed but which are situated at the site (Quality Care and Premier Care only)
• guests' or visitors' belongings not otherwise insured that are in a building at the site (Quality Care only) or at the site (Premier Care only).

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What is not included under the contents insurance policy?
The contents cover does not include:

• animals, plants, shrubs, trees and landscaping
• motorised vehicles, go carts, mini-bikes (over 50 cc) trail bikes, caravans and trailers (unless stated otherwise)
• aircraft, micro-lights, hang gliders, or their parts and equipment (other than model or toy aircraft)
• motorised watercraft and other watercraft more than 4 metres in length
• bullion
• trade stock and other contents relating to a business
• any structure or property that is included in the definition of buildings or home
• records or data stored in a computer (unless stated otherwise) .

Who is covered by the policy?
The policy covers:

• any person named as 'the insured' in the schedule or any person who has an interest in the property
• any spouse, de-facto, partner, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild of any person named as 'the insured' in the schedule who normally lives in the home with that named person
• depending on the cover you have selected, property belonging to guests or visitors at the site.

What is accidental damage?
Cover is provided for accidental loss and damage when you select Premier Care. Accidental loss and damage is an event causing loss or damage to your property that was not intended and happened by chance without deliberate intent.

What is an excess?
An excess is an amount you are required to pay before we pay your claim.

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Sum insured

How much should I insure my building for?
The sum your home (building) is insured for should reflect what it would cost to rebuild your house today using the same materials and the same style of fittings and fixtures.

To help you estimate the replacement value of your home you can use the Building calculator.

How much should I insure my contents for?
When determining the sum insured for your contents, it is important to remember you need to insure for the replacement cost of your contents based on their replacement value today. Ask yourself how much would it cost if I had to buy all new content today?

An easy way to determine the replacement value of all contents is to walk around the home, room by room, and make a list of all the items and place a new for old value against each. The total new for old replacement value of all contents items should be your contents sum insured.

To estimate the replacement value of your contents, you can also use the Home and Contents calculator.

Premiums

How are premiums calculated?
Westpac Home and Contents Insurance premiums reflect a number of factors, including the cost of current and future claims and business expenses. The premium you pay is calculated using a wide range of factors called rating factors, including:

• postcode, suburb or location of the home
• what the home is constructed from
• the sum insured you have selected
• how the home is secured against burglars
• the excess you choose to pay in the event of a claim
• the optional covers you choose
• these rating factors may cause an increase or decrease to your premium.

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How can I reduce my premium?
With Westpac there are several ways home and contents policy holders could save money on their premiums, such as:

• saving 10% off your premium if you combine your home and its contents onto one Westpac policy
• choosing from a range of excesses to make premiums more affordable. The higher the excess you choose, the lower the premium will be.
• having good security around your property, like alarms and locks on your doors and windows, for these not only deters intruders but may save money on your contents premium.
• receiving a discount off your premium for being over 55
• downgrading to a lower level of cover.

Do I get a no claim bonus on my policy?
Yes. Your premium will be reduced if you have not made a claim in the previous two years.

Can I cancel my policy at any time?
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your policy, you may cancel it within 14 days of receiving your schedule or within 19 days of the date of the issue of the policy (whichever is earlier) and we will give you a full refund.

You may also cancel your insurance policy at any time by sending your request in writing to Westpac General Insurance Limited GPO Box 4451, Sydney NSW 2001.

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Cover

Are my contents covered if I take them outside the building?
There is limited cover for contents outside the building, this is dependent on the type of cover you select.

• Essential Care Contents provides no cover for contents outside the building
• Quality Care Contents provides limited cover for loss or damage to contents in the open air within the boundaries of the site caused by the defined events
• Premier Care Contents provides cover for your contents at the site and while temporarily removed elsewhere in Australia.

Will my building and contents be covered while I am away on holidays?
We will allow the home to be unoccupied for up to 60 days. When the home is unoccupied you must take all reasonable care to ensure that:

• all windows and doors are securely locked
• the home is under the supervision of a reasonable person
• newspapers and mail are collected daily
• lawns and gardens are kept in a tidy order.

Is my building covered during renovations?
Yes. However, if you plan to complete home renovations at the site, you need to inform us before the building work commences. We will advise you if the building works at the site will affect your policy.
Building renovation is defined as altering or moving all or part of any wall, floor, foundation, roof or structural component. It includes a new bathroom or kitchen, or extensions such as additional rooms, outdoor entertaining areas, or a second storey.

What is legal liability? Am I covered for it?
Legal liability means your legal responsibility to pay compensation for causing:

• bodily injury, illness or death to someone other than you or
• loss or damage to property owned or controlled by someone other than you.

Legal liability cover is automatically provided as part of our building and or contents policies. You are covered anywhere in Australia up to a limit of $20 million in total under this and all other policies issued by us.

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Claims and dispute resolution

How are claims paid?
When we agree to pay your claim for loss or damage, we may choose to pay:

• the reasonable costs of repair
• the reasonable costs of replacement to new condition with property the same size and specification or with items as near to original as is currently possible
• a cash amount. If we agree to pay cash, we will pay the amount it would reasonably cost to repair or replace the property. Where buildings are not being replaced, the amount we will pay will be less a reasonable deduction for depreciation due to wear and tear and age of the property.

If the loss or damage involves items of personal clothing or other apparel, bed clothing, towels or table linen, we will only pay the cost of replacement less a reasonable allowance for age and wear and tear.

In the event of a claim, what proof do I need to prove the value and ownership of the property that I am claiming for? Should I keep an inventory of my contents?
If you make a claim for any contents or personal valuables, you must be able to provide a valuation or receipt or other evidence of ownership and value.
It is recommended that you keep an inventory of your contents and review it annually to ensure that you are covered for additional items purchased during the year.

What do I do if I have a complaint or dispute?
If you do have a complaint about any aspect of your policy or the way your claim is handled, we will do our best to resolve it for you quickly and fairly.

The first step
We ask that your first course of action be to contact one of our insurance consultants on:

• 1300 650 255 for policy enquiries
• 1300 369 989 for claims enquiries.

If they are unable to resolve the matter they will refer it to their team leader or manager to do so.

The next step
If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you may contact our Internal Dispute Resolution Officer, Home and Contents Insurance, who will arrange for the matter to be reviewed in accordance with our internal dispute resolution process. The contact details are:

Internal Dispute Resolution Officer,
Home and Contents Insurance,
Westpac General Insurance Limited
GPO Box 4451
Sydney NSW 2001
Telephone: 1300 369 989
Facsimile: 02 8254 6979

Independent resolution
If you are not satisfied with the decision made, you can refer this matter to Financial Ombudsman Service Limited, an independent and impartial body established to hear and endeavour to resolve complaints by the insuring public.
Financial Ombudsman Service Limited
GPO Box 3
Melbourne VIC 3001
Telephone: 1300 780 808

Please note that, if you haven't first tried to resolve your complaint in accordance with the steps listed above, then you will directed back to us.

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