- Gives you $250 worth of smart sensors
- Actively helps you prevent accidents and claims
- Takes 3 minutes to sign up
Key takeaways
- Accidental damage insurance covers your stuff if it gets damaged in an accident.
- A policy can cover damage from spills and drops, as well as things like burst water pipes.
- There are some general exclusions like deliberate acts, damage from tenants and clothing damage.
Finder Score - Home and Contents Insurance
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What is accidental damage in home insurance?
Accidental damage insurance does what it says on the tin. If your property, or items within it, are damaged accidentally, it'll help cover the cost of repair or replacement.
Sometimes it's included as standard in home insurance policies, other times it's offered as an optional extra.
Top pick for accident prevention: Honey
What we like about Honey:
- It gives you $250 worth of smart sensors when you sign up. They help detect household accidents and prevent you from having to make claims (stopping your premiums from increasing).
- You can avoid big annual premium increases. Lots of insurers offer sign-up discounts but this often results in a significant price hike after the first year. With Honey, it's different – you get up to 8% off your premiums every year if you use the smart sensors. For example, Finder's Head of Editorial recently saved $1,415 by switching to Honey after 11 years with the same insurer.
- Signing up is quick and straightforward. It removes a lot of the work you usually need to do when taking out home insurance by using third-party data to gather information about your property – for example, the materials used to build it, the area it is in and year it was built.
What does accidental damage insurance cover?
Accidental damage insurance helps cover the cost of repair or replacement, if something in your home is damaged by a sudden, unintended or unexpected event.
A wide range of events falls under that umbrella, but it typically includes:
- Broken or damaged furniture
- Accidental burst water pipe
- Spills and stains, such as red wine, paint or ink
- Damaged decorative items, such as artwork or mirrors
- Major tears or rips in soft furnishings
- Damage caused by smoke or soot
- Damage to fragile items, such as vases or ornaments
Accidental damage insurance for laptops
Laptops are usually covered under your accidental damage policy and depending on the insurer, you might even be covered if the damage happens outside of your home.
Accidental damage to your laptop includes dropping it or spilling liquids on it. Just remember, it won't cover scratches, dings and dents if they don't affect your laptop's performance. You should also check the product disclosure statement (PDS) to see whether or not cracked screens will be covered.
How do I get accidental damage insurance?
Accidental damage insurance will either come included in your home and contents policy or you will be given the choice to add the cover for an additional cost.
- Included: Accidental damage is included as standard in your home insurance policy. The price you have been quoted includes cover for accidental damage.
- Add-on: An additional feature which does not come as standard. If you choose to add accidental damage cover, it will increase the price of your premium.
How much does accidental damage insurance cost?
We requested quotes from four different insurance companies to see how price varies between home insurance policies with accidental damage cover as standard, accidental cover as an optional extra and without any accidental damage insurance at all.
The research found that, for the two companies that offer both options, add-on accidental damage is only an extra $11 a month.
The research also shows that it's possible to get add-on cover at a cheaper price than home insurance without accidental damage, which is why it's so important to compare home insurance policies carefully.
Is accidental damage insurance worth it?
It depends on the contents of your home, but accidental damage insurance can definitely be a worthwhile investment for lots of Australians.
For example, if you pay an extra $11 a month for accidental damage insurance, you'd be covered if your TV fell from the wall and smashed, if your dog knocked over an antique vase or you spilled red wine on your new cream sofa.
Remember, you'll have to pay an excess before you can claim on your accidental damage policy, but when you take into account how expensive many items in the home can be, the cover is definitely worth considering.
Which brands cover accidental damage?
General exclusions: Things to watch out for
While accidental damage insurance covers a wide range of possible events, there are some core exceptions that you need to be wary of. Specifics will vary between different insurers but common exclusions are:
- Intentional or deliberate acts
- Cigarette burns
- Damage from tenants or lodgers
- Damage to drones
- Items used in business, trade or profession
- Everyday wear and tear
- Damage caused by scorching, burning or melting
- Clothing and accessories
Other exclusions will apply so please check your PDS carefully.
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