Moving insurance

How does home insurance for moving houses work?

If you're moving to a new home, you'll be glad to know you can protect your belongings as you take them from one place to the next.

These are the three main types of cover available:

• Contents in transit. Transit insurance will cover your personal belongings while you're moving them from your old home to the new one, protecting you if your contents are destroyed by fire or traffic collision on their way to your new home.
• Accidental damage to contents in transit. This extends contents in transit cover to include protection against accidental damage while you're taking them to the new home (for example, accidentally dropping your TV out of the truck).
• Cover while you move. If you already have contents insurance, it may offer this type of cover that's perfect for your move. It protects your personal belongings in both of the homes until you're finished moving.

How can you get moving insurance for moving house?

As part of your existing contents insurance policy

It's possible to get all three forms of moving cover on your existing contents insurance policy, meaning you won't distract yourself from the job at hand fussing over a bunch of extra paperwork.

Many policies will automatically include contents in transit protection so there's a good chance your stuff is already covered against fire and traffic accidents while en route to your new place.

Quite a few other policies will offer cover while you move, which covers your contents at your new home for a short time after you start removing stuff from your old home (usually 14 days).

It's a little rarer to find accidental damage for contents in transit cover and when you do it will usually be an optional upgrade. However, it does exist and it will protect you against accidents like tripping on the front steps and smashing your antique clock.

Insurers that offer one or more of these features

Below we've highlighted some Finder partner insurance brands that offer the three main types of cover that are perfect for moving house.

Brand	Contents in transit	Cover while you move	Cover for professional removalists	Apply
	Included	Up to 14 days	Not offered	Get quote
	Included	Up to 14 days	Included	Get quote
	Included	Not stated	Not stated	More info
	Included	Up to 14 days	Not offered	More info
	Top Cover only	Up to 14 days	Not stated	More info
	Premier Care policy only	Up to 14 days	Not stated	More info
	Premier Care policy only	Up to 14 days	Not stated	More info
	Top Cover only	Up to 14 days	Not stated	Get quote
	Included	Up to 14 days	Not stated	More info

As a standalone product

If you don't have an existing contents insurance policy or if you cancelled yours prior to the move, there are two ways to buy a standalone policy for just this occasion.

These will most likely not offer cover while you move your belongings into the new home.

Through your removalist

You can usually purchase insurance for your move directly through your removalist, but make sure that covers you for at least fire and collision.

You might think that you wouldn't need insurance when using a removalist because it would be their responsibility to make sure your stuff arrived safely. However, that's not always the case.

Sure, they'll be responsible if they use your couch to punch a hole in your front door or they overturn their vehicle (and your stuff) by speeding around a turn. Their own business insurance will cover that sort of thing.

However, it won't necessarily cover you if it's not the removalist's fault, for example, if there was a fire or if an uninsured driver sideswipes the moving truck.

So when buying insurance through your removalist, make sure they're not just upcharging you to cover their own business insurance expenses. Make sure they are selling you a product you can actually use: an insurance policy that will protect your contents from fire and collision.

Through a specialised moving insurer

Some insurers specialise in insuring your stuff when you move. If you're moving from one house to another, their offerings won't include much more than what your home insurance or the removalist offers.

However, insurers may have international options which can come in handy if you're moving overseas and may also offer storage insurance if you'll be moving some of your stuff to a self-storage facility.

How do you find the best home insurance for moving house?

Deciding where to go for insurance to cover your move will be different for everyone, since everyone's situation is unique. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you decide:

• Do you already have contents insurance? If you already have contents insurance, there's a good chance it will have at least contents in transit cover. This will take care of much of your risk and you can ask your insurer if it will customise a policy that covers your belongings temporarily at the new place.
• Will you own the new home? If you are moving from a rented place to a place you own, it's probably time to consider home insurance that covers the building. If you can sort this out before the move, you might have time to find a combined home and contents policy that offers the full suite of moving protection you need.
• Are any of your items particularly expensive? If any of your belongings cost a lot of money, you may need to add them to your policy as a "specified item" where you list it out separately, along with the value. If you already have contents insurance and will be relying on that as contents in transit cover, it's likely that you would have already specified these items when first applying.

Do you have to change your home insurance if you move into a new home?

Most insurers will naturally operate in many places around Australia, so you usually won't need to switch if you don't want to. However, you will need to notify your insurer that you're moving and it will need to agree to insure your new place.

Some insurers can help make your transition smoother by covering both of the homes and your contents while you're moving. If your existing policy offers this, it might be worth it to stick with that until the move is over. It gives you one less thing to think about and there's not much downside since you can cancel your home insurance policy at any time if you find a better deal after the move.

After all, the cover with the most value for money at your old address might not be ideal for your new address.

What if I'm moving overseas?

Most Australian home insurance policies only cover your move if it's to another Australian address. If you need to insure your belongings while they're being shipped overseas, you'll need to get your insurance through your overseas removalist or an insurer that specialises in overseas moving insurance.

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