Strata insurance
Strata insurance is essential for all apartment buildings and shared housing, but it's looked after by the strata committee. Find out what strata insurance covers and which brands offer it.
Key takeaways
- Strata insurance is for apartment buildings and the like, covering shared property.
- Strata insurance is essential for body corporates to hold.
- Premiums for strata insurance are not paid for individually, but from the building's administrative fund.
What is strata insurance?
Residential strata insurance is the general insurance that covers any commonly used areas within a property. It provides cover for the building and common property that is shared by people living in a townhouse, duplex or set of flats.
It’s basically insurance for areas you share with your neighbours, and the building itself. This includes things like lifts, pools, car parks and gyms, but also more common stuff like gardens, balconies, driveways and walls.
It’s also referred to as body corporate, owners corporation, common property or residential strata insurance. Strata insurance premiums are paid for out of the building's administrative fund, which is fed by your strata levy.
Who offers strata insurance?
There are numerous insurance providers within Australia who offer a range of varying strata insurance cover. Strata managers and body corporates often employ a broker or specialist underwriting agency to help negotiate the right cover for their titles.
Here is an outline of a handful of Australian strata insurance providers. Finder doesn't currently compare strata insurance policies or quotes, so contact the insurer or your strata manager directly for a quote:
| Brand | Here's a summary of some of the benefits | How to get a quote |
|---|---|---|
 Strata insurance |
| By phone: 13 22 44 |
 Strata insurance |
| Apply via an online form |
 Residential strata insurance |
| By phone: 13 24 81 |
 Strata insurance |
| By phone: 13 10 10 |
 Strata insurance |
| Via an online form |
Is strata insurance mandatory?
Yes. Strata insurance is mandatory under each state's relevant strata legislation. Just as drivers must have CTP each strata title owner is required to have sufficient strata insurance.
The details change a little in each state, but generally your body corporate will need a few types of cover:
- Building insurance: To maintain the structure and quality of the building itself. To make sure your building is not underinsured, the building value and insurance should be re-established every 2 to 5 years.
- Public liability insurance: This covers responsibility for an individual’s injury or death, or property damage. The minimum covered amount is usually $20 million.
- Workers compensation insurance: This covers you if a worker on your property gets injured while working.
To find out the details of what your building needs, speak to your strata manager.
What does residential strata insurance cover?
Each policy is different and you should check what is covered under your policy. However, strata insurance typically covers the common and/or shared property as defined by the title of the property. Confused as to what this all means? Basically, you’ll be covered for anything your tenants all have access to, such as:
- Lifts
- Pools
- Carparks
- Gardens
- Wiring
- Balconies
- Walls and windows
- Ceilings and floors
- Shared contents (like washing machines, gardening equipment and shared gym equipment)
All policies must provide liability cover in the event of injuries on common property.
What doesn't it cover?
Like all insurance policies, it’s the exclusions you need to take equal note of. Different providers include different exclusions, so be sure to read the terms and conditions carefully, as these can often be targeting certain risks, such as flood or landslides. But general exclusions are usually:
- Fixtures that can be removed without causing damage to the property.
- Any temporary structures, like caravans, houseboats and motor vehicles.
- Any carpets, rugs and curtains.
- Air conditioning units that service a particular unit.
- Lawns, garden areas, trees or plants in the grounds.
- Any part of your building used for any business activity unless it’s shown on your certificate of insurance.
- Personal items and contents (either your own or your tenants’).
What factors can contribute to strata insurance premiums?
Each provider will have specific factors and considerations, but common factors that can affect premiums are:
- Government taxes on insurance (stamp duty and GST).
- The age and condition of the building.
- The replacement cost of the building.
- The risk profile of the location (such as on a flood plain or high crime area).
- The claims history of the strata complex.
- Commercial activities carried out on the premises (holiday letting, community events, etc).
- Fees and commissions from agents.
- The costs of common property (such as fire protection systems, lifts and pools).
Adjusting the level of excess payable at the time of a claim is another way of bringing premiums down.
What's the difference between strata insurance and landlord insurance?
| Strata Insurance | Landlord Insurance |
|---|---|
|
|
What's the difference between residential and commercial strata insurance?
Strata insurance is split into two categories, residential and commercial. Basically, residential is for anyone living in a building and commercial is for any building that’s only used for business purposes.
In many cases, both residential and commercial strata properties are required to have the relevant insurance in place, but the exact requirements (and any exceptions) vary by state and territory. Each state and territory has its own specific terms and conditions needed for strata insurance, and most providers will cater to certain states and strata types.
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I live and manage a two complex strata villa and and wish to compare strata insurance
Hi Dom,
You can contact the brands listed in the table above.
I am looking for quality reasonably priced Strata Insurance.
Any recommendations?
Does Finder do Strata Comparisons?
Hi Peter, We’re not currently live with any partners at the moment, but you can contact any of the brands listed in the table in this article for a quote. Best of luck!
Hi,
My mother currently lives in a strata complex compiler of just 4 units with no shared/common areas except for the paved driveway. Recently they received a letter from WFI, their current insurer stating that “WFI residential strata plan building insurance is no longer being offered” due to discontinuation of their product to the market. One of the owners of the 4 units and also the treasurer for the strata plan has requested/enquired whether they are able to obtain their own insurance for just their property due to one of the owners living overseas and difficult to contact and is lax in paying and causes him considerable extra work trying to chase them and their payment up, which they were told they could and as a result the remaining owners now need to find their own insurance but while still being under a strata plan. I’m finding this very difficult due to the oddity and complexity of trying to insurer a property under a strata plan but only a single dwelling and was wondering if you could offer me any advise
Hi Carl, This sounds very stressful! Depending on where you live, you can contact a relevant service. For instance, you’d contact the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management in Queensland or Fair Trading in NSW. Do you have a strata manager? They may be able to assist, as there are likely to be joint costs beyond insurance (such a strata levies for the sinking fund). You could also contact an insurance broker to help you arrange the type of insurance you need. Best of luck!
We have 2 main buildings on our block of land. An original house at the front, a smaller unit at the back and a shed. There is no strata title or subdivision. It’s all on one title and immediate family that chose to live on the same property. Do you know What sort of insurance would cover us? Thanks
Hi Julie, In this case you should be OK with general home insurance – but you’d need to make it clear to the insurer that there are multiple buildings on the property and that the valuations are appropriate.
I would like to compare our building strata insurance policy.
Hi Christine,
You can compare building strata insurance via the comparison table found on this page under the section titled: “Who offers strata insurance?”
Regards,
James