What is covered by my home insurance policy

Insurance is really about confidence. You want to be sure you can get things back to normal, if the unexpected happens. You can check how the cover works in these common situations, or call 1300 650 255, 8am - 7pm Monday to Friday or 9am-2pm Saturday (Sydney time).

Are my contents covered if I take them outside?

Cover for contents outside your home varies depending on which level of cover you have:

  • Essential Care Contents provides no cover for contents outside the building
  • Quality Care Contents provides limited cover for contents outside but within the boundaries of the site, for loss or damage caused by the insured events
  • Premier Care Contents covers your contents at the site and while temporarily removed elsewhere in Australia, including for accidental loss or damage
  • Personal Valuables cover provides cover for various defined valuable items or your own specific items depending on what you arranged, for theft or accidental loss or damage anywhere in Australia and even overseas for up to 90 days.

Is my home covered while I'm away on holidays?

Your building and contents will be covered while your home is unoccupied for up to 60 days. During this time you must take all reasonable care to ensure that:

  • All windows and doors are securely locked
  • The home is under the supervision of a responsible person
  • Newspapers and mail are collected regularly
  • Lawns and gardens are kept in a tidy order.


However, call us to advise if your home will be unoccupied for more than 60 consecutive days and we'll advise you if your cover can continue.

Is my home covered during renovations?

You will need to inform us before the building work commences so we can advise you if your home will be covered and whether there is any change to 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.

Am I covered for legal liability, and what is it?

Legal liability means your legal responsibility to pay compensation for causing:

  • Injury, illness or death to someone else
  • Loss or damage to property owned or controlled by someone else.


Legal liability cover is automatically included in all building and/or contents policies and covers you anywhere in Australia up to $20 million. It also covers others named on your policy or certain relatives who normally live with you.

Is my whole home covered?

If you have building cover, it covers residential building(s) on the site which includes structural improvements, fixtures and fittings. See the table below for more information.

Building cover includes
 Building cover doesn’t include

The basics:

  • Walls, gates, decks, patios, balconies, paths and driveways
  • Fences.

Fixtures and fittings:

  • Permanently fixed domestic items, fixtures and fittings e.g. dishwashers installed in a cabinet, wall-mounted air conditioners
  • Equipment permanently connected to gas, plumbing, sewerage, drainage or electrical systems, or communication installations, in all instances for which you own or are legally responsible for e.g. light fittings, alarm systems, kitchen and bathroom fixtures
  • Floating floor boards
  • Fixed external blinds, awnings and screens (internal window coverings are covered under Contents cover)
  • Equipment permanently connected to gas, plumbing, sewerage, drainage or electrical systems, or communication installations which you own or are legally responsible for e.g. light fittings, alarm systems, kitchen and bathroom fixtures
  • Solar panels.

Home office rooms:

  • Rooms within your main residential building(s) used as a home office.

Other structures:

  • Structures such as garages, carports, sheds and other domestic outbuildings
  • Permanently fixed swimming pools, saunas, spas and tennis courts, including their fixed fittings and fixed accessories
  • Wharves, jetties and pontoons
  • Tanks that store heating oil, gas or water.

Greenery and outdoor decorations:

  • Lawn, landscaping, plants, shrubs, trees or potted plants – unless you have Premier Care cover and they’re covered in Additional benefits
  • Outdoor decorations, water features – unless you have Premier Care cover and they’re covered in Additional benefits.

Business, farming, or blocks over 40,000 square metres:

  • Buildings or structures used for business or commercial purposes (other than as a room within the residential building that is used as a home office)
  • Buildings or sites used for farming activity
  • Buildings located on sites exceeding 40,000 square metres.

Other structures:

  • Display homes, guest houses, boarding houses, houseboats, caravans or mobile homes (fixed or freestanding) or shipping containers.

Are all my contents covered?

If you have contents cover, it covers domestic items that you own or are legally responsible for and which you normally keep in a building at the site.


There are cover limits on a few contents items but you can cover some for higher amounts by listing them within your contents cover, or adding Personal Valuables cover.

Contents cover includes: Contents cover doesn't include:

General household items:

  • Furniture, furnishings, household goods
  • Food, kitchenware, towels, linen
  • Appliances (including unfixed dishwashers) and electrical items
  • Music and software obtained legally
  • Mobile phones, personal handheld navigational equipment
  • Clothing, jewellery, toiletries, books, toys
  • Artwork, collections and collectibles
  • Fixed and unfixed carpets and rugs
  • Floating floor boards in a home which is part of a strata title plan
  • Internal window coverings e.g. blinds, curtains
  • Sporting equipment including golf buggies
  • Musical instruments
  • Tools, registered firearms.

Personal aids:

  • Wheelchairs, mobility scooters
  • Hearing aids, dentures, prosthetics.

Outdoor items:

  • Lawn mowers (including ride-on)
  • Mini-bikes (up to 50cc) that don’t require registration
  • Items designed for use outside which aren’t permanently fixed (Quality Care and Premier Care only) e.g. above ground swimming pools, mobile BBQ, outdoor furniture
  • Non-motorised watercraft up to four metres in length
  • Surfboards, sailboards, surf skis, canoes and kayaks.

Fixtures and fittings, structural improvements:

  • Fixtures and fittings installed by you as a tenant
  • Fixtures and fittings owned by your landlord at the site and for which you are liable as a tenant under the terms of a lease or similar agreement
  • Structural additions and improvements to a home which is part of a strata title plan, which are not otherwise insured under the body corporate’s building insurance policy, e.g. new dishwasher or renovated bathroom or kitchen.

Guests’ belongings:

  • Guests’ or visitors’ belongings not otherwise insured that are in a building at the site (Quality Care only) or anywhere at the site (Premier Care only).

Greenery and animals:

  • Lawn, landscaping, plants, shrubs, trees
  • Animals.

Vehicles:

  • Motorised vehicles, go-karts, mini-bikes over 50cc, trail bikes, any registrable vehicles, caravans or trailers (unless stated otherwise)
  • Motorised watercraft and all watercraft more than four metres in length (other than surfboards, sailboards, surf skis, canoes and kayaks)
  • Aircraft, drones, micro-lights, hang gliders, or their parts and equipment (unless it’s a model or toy aircraft provided they are being used legally).

Business items:

  • Trade stock and other contents relating to a business, other than home office equipment.

Other:

  • Any structure or property that’s included in the definition of building
  • Bullion
  • Records or data stored in a computer (unless you have Premier Care and they’re covered in Additional benefits).

Do I need to keep an inventory or proof of my contents?

It's important to keep records of your possessions and any documents that prove their value, in case you need to make a claim. It's also a good idea to keep these records in a safe place away from your home, such as with a family member.

Who is covered by my policy?

Your policy covers:

  • Anyone named as 'the insured' in your policy schedule or anyone who has an interest in the property
  • Any spouse, de-facto, partner, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild of anyone named as 'the insured' in your policy schedule who normally lives in the home with that person.


If you have Quality Care or Premier Care contents, it also covers property belonging to guests or visitors at the site.

Am I covered for accidental damage?

You're covered for accidental loss and damage when you select Premier Care. Accidental loss and damage means an event causing loss or damage to your property that was not intended and happened by chance without deliberate intent.

 

Read more

How much home insurance cover do I need?

When it comes to insurance, many of us undervalue our home and all the things we've collected over the years, so it pays to invest a little time in working out their value accurately and keeping it up to date. Knowing what to include in valuing your home and contents can help you determine the right amount of cover.

 

Home Building Calculator

It is your responsibility as a homeowner to determine the total replacement and sum-insured cover for your home. Rebuilding costs generally go up over time and building codes change, the result being if you’ve lived in the same place for a while, the costs associated with rebuilding may have changed significantly.

 

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Things you should know

The information contained in this article is general information only and is not specific to any product.  

It does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs and so you should consider its appropriateness, having regard to your personal objectives, financial situation and needs to these factors before acting on it.

Terms, conditions and exclusions apply to any insurance product. Please read the disclosure documents for your selected product or service, including the Terms and Conditions or Product Disclosure Statement, before deciding.

Cover is subject to your application for insurance being accepted.

Westpac Retail and Business Banking Financial Services Guide, Credit Guide and Privacy Statement (PDF 89KB)

Home and Contents Insurance Product Disclosure Statement and Supplementary Product Disclosure Statements (applicable to policies issued or renewed on or after 1 July 2019) (PDF 339KB)

Home and Contents Insurance Product Disclosure Statement and Supplementary Product Disclosure Statement (applicable to policies initially issued in the period between 30 June 2018 and 30 June 2019; or renewed in the period between 30 July 2018 and 30 June 2019) (PDF 328KB)

View the Home and Contents Insurance Key Fact Sheets.

Home and Contents Insurance is issued by Westpac General Insurance Limited ABN 99 003 719 319 (except workers compensation cover where applicable). Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 distributes the insurance, but does not guarantee the insurance. This information does not take into account your personal circumstances. Read the Product Disclosure Statement to see if this insurance is right for you.