Temporary Accommodation Insurance

You can get temporary accommodation in home insurance, but the payout can differ between insurers. Compare brands to see which will be best for your lifestyle.

Home Insurance

Sometimes damage to your home and its contents can prevent you from living at your insured address. If your home becomes unlivable as a result of an insured event, a home insurance policy could help pay for temporary accommodation. This generally includes accommodation for you, your family and your pets while your home is being rebuilt or repaired.

What is temporary accommodation?

In home insurance, temporary accommodation is provided if your house becomes uninhabitable due to an insured event like a fire, flood or another emergency.

It's often automatically included in home insurance policies. To get covered for temporary accommodation, an inspector will have to confirm that your home is too damaged by the insured event to live in.

Compare temporary accommodation benefits in home insurance

Product AUFHO Temporary Accommodation Building Cover Contents Cover Fire, Storm & Theft Damage Sum Insured Safeguard Online Discount
12% of sum insured - up to 12 months
Our verdict: Finder’s 2022 Insurer of the Year for Customer Satisfaction and our Top Pick for Fire Damage cover. It’s good if you want a tailored quote over the phone.
Budget Direct Home & Contents Insurance
Best Rated BrandBonusFinder Award Finalist
Budget Direct Home Insurance logo
10% of sum insured - up to 12 months
Optional
Our verdict: The most popular insurer on Finder, Budget Direct prioritises low-cost cover and gives you up to 30% off your first year's premium for new combined Home & Contents policies purchased online.
20% of buildings sum insured - 24 months
Our verdict: Finder's Top Pick for Floods plus cover for other common claims such as fire and theft). Its discount is better than most – 20% off your first year with a combined policy.
Qantas Home and Contents Insurance
BonusFinder Award Finalist
Qantas Home Insurance logo
10% of sum insured - up to 12 months
Optional
Our verdict: Earn up to 40K Qantas Points for joining by 29 January. Plus save 30% on your 1st year’s premium for purchasing a combined home and contents policy online. T&Cs apply.
10% of home sum insured
The lesser of: 12 months rent; or 10% of your building sum insured
Our verdict: Save up to 10% on your policy in the first year.
10% of home sum insured
Our verdict: Honey gives you $250 smart sensors to reduce accidents and estimates your rebuild costs for you. Honey was a finalist for the comprehensive category in this year’s Finder Awards.
20% of buildings sum insured - 24 months
Our verdict: Good comprehensive cover (issued by QBE). Also, get $5 Kogan.com credit when you purchase a new combined Home & Contents insurance policy online. T&Cs apply.
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Finder survey: How many people value temporary accommodation cover?

ResponseFemaleMale
Temporary accommodation cover30%25%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1113 Australians, December 2023

How do I claim for emergency accommodation?

You can only receive cover for emergency accommodation once you've made a claim for an insured event, like a fire, and the insurer agrees to pay your claim.

At this point, your insurer will inform you of whether or not it will pay for temporary accommodation, provided your home is uninhabitable.

How does home insurance cover me for emergency accommodation?

The amount you get paid depends on the insurer. For many, the amount you will receive will be based on the weekly rentable value of your home.

Others will generally pay you between 1% and 12% of the building's sum insured towards temporary accommodation. Most will pay you for no longer than 12 months.

ProviderHow it covers you
Budget DirectIt will pay up to 10% of your home or contents sum insured for temporary accommodation.
St GeorgeUp to 10% of the sum insured or the cost of accommodation for up to 12 months from the date of the event, whichever is less. And up to $5,000 for pet accommodation.
Youi logo1% of the building's sum insured plus up to $250 for pet accommodation. The most it will pay in total is 12% of the building's sum insured plus up to $2,500 for pet accommodation.

For emergency evacuation it will pay the temporary accommodation costs up to the day you are allowed to return to the premises; the maximum period it will pay for is 30 days.

Virgin MoneyIt will pay up to 10% of your home or contents sum insured for temporary accommodation.
Huddle home insuranceCover for the lesser of 12 months' rent or 10% of your home sum insured.
WestpacUp to 10% of the sum insured or the cost of accommodation for up to 12 months from the date of the event, whichever is less. And up to $5,000 for pet accommodation.
RealCover for the lesser of 12 months' rent or 10% of your home sum insured.
KoganCover for the lesser of 12 months' rent or 10% of your home sum insured.

What kind of emergencies are eligible for emergency accommodation?

To get access to temporary accommodation through home insurance, an insured event needs to have damaged your house to the point it is no longer inhabitable. Commonly covered events can include, but are not limited to:

  • Fires (including bushfires)
  • Earthquake
  • Explosion
  • Lightning
  • Riot

It's not uncommon for the authorities to order evacuations or prevent you from returning home during bushfire season. However, most policies will only pay for temporary accommodation if your home is destroyed by a fire, not if you are ordered to evacuate.

Only youi specifies in its product disclosure statement (PDS) that it will cover you for emergency evacuations.

Michael Doubinski's headshot
Expert insight: How to assess a portable home

"The biggest challenge after natural disasters is securing temporary shelter while homes are being rebuilt. Portable homes offer a fast, reliable solution, providing a comfortable home base during this period. These homes can be covered under home insurance as temporary accommodation, making them a practical option. Look for features like quick setup, flexibility in location, and modern comforts. Ensuring your temporary home meets these criteria can significantly ease the stress of displacement and provide stability during the rebuilding process."

CEO, PennyGranny

Why would an insurer not pay for temporary accommodation?

Here are some reasons why a home insurer may deny your claim for temporary accommodation, or stop paying for it.

  • Your home was deemed livable by an insurance assessor
  • There were avoidable delays which lead to you exceeding the reasonable time it takes for repairs. This is usually no longer than 12 months.
  • If you weren't living in the house when the damage was caused
  • If you have no intention of rebuilding or repairing
  • If you have indicated that you don't need alternate accommodation (i.e. staying with family or friends)

Frequently asked questions

Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 645 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living

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