Got flood damage? Here are the 3 things you should do right now
Over the weekend, NSW has seen record levels of rainfall. If you think you may need to make a claim for flood damage – here's what you can do to prepare.
It's been pouring down rain, and now loads of homes in New South Wales have been hit with flood damage.
The Insurance Council of Australia has declared this weekend's downpour as a "catastrophe" with over 5,000 claims submitted in the last couple of days. So far, 18,000 residents have had to evacuate, with 15,000 of them coming from the mid-coast of New South Wales.
While we can't stop the rain from falling, we can help you navigate your home insurance claim to make things easier for you.
These are the three things you need to do ASAP
Make sure you and your loved ones are safe.
Make sure you and your loved ones are safe.If your home isn't in a liveable state, consider staying with family or friends. You can also head to a nearby evacuation centre if you need to. Don't forget your pets!
Did you know? Some home insurance policies will cover you for temporary accommodation.
Contact your home insurer or emergency services if you need to.
Contact your home insurer or emergency services if you need to.As long as everyone is safe, you should try to contact your home insurer as soon as possible. With so many homes affected, you may have to hold the line for a little while. If things are getting worse for your home, call State Emergency Services (SES) on 132 500 or 000 for any theft or malicious damage.
Take pictures and prepare your docs.
Take pictures and prepare your docs.Have your policy number at the ready, details of the incident, photos of the damage and any other relevant invoices and receipts. Having these prepared can help speed up the claims process.
How to contact your insurer about flood damage
Here's a list of some major Australian home insurers and how you can contact them.
Tip: If you need to check your product disclosure statement (PDS) for how your home insurer covers flood damage, try using the Find tool (Ctrl+F or Command+F) and search for the term "Flood". It'll save you having to scroll through the whole document.
| Brand | Are floods usually covered? | 24/7 Contact number | How to make a claim |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Budget Direct offers flood cover as optional in its home insurance policies. If you're not sure if you've opted in, check your Certificate of Insurance. | 1300 139 591 |
|
 | Westpac automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | 1300 369 989 |
|
 | St.George automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | 1300 655 489 |
|
 | Qantas offers flood cover as optional in its home insurance policies. If you're not sure if you've opted in, check your Certificate of Insurance. | 13 49 60 |
|
 | Real automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | 13 19 48 |
|
 | Australian Seniors automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | 13 13 43 |
|
 | Domain Insurance automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | 1300 370 456 |
|
 | Virgin Money offers flood cover as optional in its home insurance policies. If you're not sure if you've opted in, check your Certificate of Insurance. | 1800 662 884 |
|
 | Youi automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | n/a |
|
 | ANZ automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | n/a |
|
 | ahm automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | (+61) 2 4062 8737 |
|
 | Kogan automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | 1300 034 888 |
|
 | AAMI automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | 13 22 44 |
|
 | Woolworths automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | 1300 10 1234 |
|
 | Coles automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | n/a |
|
 | Huddle automatically includes flood cover in its home insurance policies. | (+61) 2 8294 7772 |
|
 | ING offers flood cover as optional in its home insurance policies. If you're not sure if you've opted in, check your Certificate of Insurance. | 133 464 |
|
 | Allianz offers flood cover as optional in its home insurance policies. If you're not sure if you've opted in, check your Certificate of Insurance. | 13 10 13 |
|
Ways your home insurance can help with the situation
The most obvious is that home insurance can help cover the cost of damage and repairs to your home from flooding; however, it can also help with the following:
- Temporary accommodation. If your home is in an unliveable state, ask your insurer to see if you can claim an allowance for temporary accommodation at a hotel. This can also help if you have pets as well. Some policies will also cover the cost of temporary dog/cat boarding.
Important tip: If water has entered your home, don't turn on any electricals without the go-ahead from the SES.
- Food spoilage. If your home has been completely flooded or you can't access the property for a while, you might find that the food is probably no good. A lot of insurance policies have an allowance between $500 and 1,000 to replenish your pantry.
Save your receipts!
Are you someone who saves all their receipts in a shoebox? Or maybe you keep them handy in digital copies on your phone? Whichever way you do it, keep them safe in case you need to claim water or impact damage on your contents.
More support for affected homes
- Services Australia. Services Australia has announced that some homes may be eligible to claim the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment. Eligible households can receive a payment of $1,000 per adult and $400 per child (under 16 years old).
- Banks. The Australian Banking Association (ABA) has reminded customers to seek assistance from their banks. They might be able to help with things like deferrals of scheduled loan repayments and increasing emergency credit card limits.
Don't have home insurance?
If you don't have home insurance, you may be looking at some out-of-pocket expenses for the damages. Check to see if you're eligible for any assistance packages and then start comparing home insurance policies for next time – this won't be the last time it rains!
Picture: GettyImages
