Thinking about Westpac Home Insurance? Read our review and discover if they're right for you.
Everyone needs insurance to protect their largest asset: the family home. We need home insurance to cover the cost of loss or damage due to flood, fire, storm or natural disaster and we need contents insurance to repair or replace our possessions if they are damaged or stolen.
Westpac Home and Contents Insurance offers comprehensive cover for your home and possessions. It includes a Safety net and emergency accommodation extras, plus an award winning claim service. This guide takes a closer look at all the options to help you decide which cover is right for you.
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More Information About Westpac Home and Contents Insurance
Westpac Home and Contents insurance cover options
Westpac offers three main insurances for your home and possessions. These are:
- Contents only cover. This covers your possessions against loss or damage from storm, flood, fire, theft and more with new-for-old replacement and optional cover for valuables worldwide.
- Building only cover. This covers your home building against loss or damage from storm, flood, fire, theft and more and includes a safety net and emergency accommodation extras.
- Home and Contents cover. This provides cover for both your home and contents against storm, flood, fire, theft and more and also includes a safety net and emergency accommodation extras.
The optional cover available with contents only and home and contents insurance includes cover for valuables while at home, throughout Australia and worldwide for up to 90 days, which could help to reduce your travel insurance premium next time you go on holidays.
And the extra cover with building only and home and contents insurance provides valuable funds for emergency accommodation if your home is unliveable plus a sum insured safety net, in case repair or replacement costs are higher than first expected.
Westpac Home and Contents insurance levels of cover
As well as three different types of cover, Westpac Home and Contents Insurance offers three different levels of care:
- Essential Care
- Quality Care
- Premier Care
Each provides a different level of protection.
- Essential Care. Essential Care covers theft of contents from inside a fully enclosed and locked home with evidence of forced entry.
- Quality Care. Quality Care covers theft of contents from inside a fully enclosed and lockable home and includes up to $2,000 for theft in the open air at the site.
- Premier Care. Premier Care covers theft of contents whether it is from inside, outside or temporarily removed elsewhere in Australia.
- Essential Care. Essential Care provides a safety net of up to 10% of the sum insured for your home and up to 5% for your contents.
- Quality Care. Quality Care provides a safety net of up to 20% of the sum insured for your home and up to 10% for your contents.
- Premier Care. Premier Care provides a safety net of up to 30% of the sum insured for your home and up to 20% for your contents.
- Essential Care. Essential Care provides cover for jewellery and watches up to $500 per item and up to $3,000 in total, and artwork up to $3,000.
- Quality Care. Quality Care provides cover for jewellery and watches up to $1,000 per item and up to $5,000 in total, and artwork up to $10,000.
- Premier Care. Premier Care provides cover for jewellery and watches up to $5,000 per item and up to $20,000 in total, and artwork up to $20,000.
Insured events
Quality Care and Premier Care provide additional coverage for insured events electrical motor burnout and accidental glass breakage, and Premier Care includes accidental loss or damage as well.
Westpac Home and Contents insurance general exclusions
Some exclusions apply to Westpac Home and Contents Insurance and a full list of these can be found in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). In summary though, exclusions apply to any loss or damage that is covered by a warranty, guarantee or service contract or that involve any of the following:
- Building design defects or poor workmanship
- Failure to keep the property habitable or well maintained
- Failure to undertake required building work
- Obtaining permits to replace illegal structures
- Wear and tear, environmental conditions, deterioration, rust, mould or mildew
- Earth or soil movement (apart from earthquake)
- Settling, expansion, shrinkage, or vibration
- The action of tree roots
- Animals or birds biting, chewing or scratching
- Vermin, insects or pests
- Power surges
- Malicious or illegal acts by you or someone acting with your consent
- Legal damage, destruction or confiscation
- Acts of war, terrorism, invasion, insurrection or military coups
- Chemical, biological or nuclear material
- Loss or damage to common property such as on a strata title unit.
How much does Westpac Home and Contents insurance cost?
How much you pay for your Westpac Home and Contents Insurance depends on a number of factors including:
- The level of cover that you opt for (essential, quality or premier), with essential costing the least and premier the most.
- If your home is at risk from high crime rates and termites.
- The materials your home is constructed from (e.g. wood or brick).
- Any security features that you may have, such as deadlocks and alarm systems.
- The amount of excess you choose to pay.
- The degree of risk your home faces from events such as bush fire, storms and floods.
- Whether you choose to add optional personal valuables cover to your policy.
Westpac Home and Contents insurance excess
As mentioned previously, you can reduce your premium by increasing the amount of excess you pay. The excess is the amount you must pay towards any claim and in the case of Westpac Home and Contents Insurance, you can opt to pay as little as $100 or as much as $5,000.
Two things to note are that if the amount of your claim is less than the excess you must pay, then obviously the claim will not be paid. Also, if you are making a claim under building and contents, building and personal valuables or contents and personal valuables cover for the one event, only the higher excess will apply.
Who is eligible for Westpac Home insurance?
- You must not have had a criminal charge or conviction in the last 5 years. This also includes anyone else that is to be covered under the policy
- Your property must be secure, structurally sound and well maintained
- Cover is not available for properties being used for commercial purposes
- Your property must be water tight
How to save on your Westpac Home and Contents insurance policy
You can also reduce the amount of the premium you pay for your Westpac Home and Contents Insurance if any of the following discounts apply to you:
- If you combine your building and contents cover into one policy
- If you don’t make any claims for a year or more
- If you install security features such as deadlocks, keyed locks and a burglar alarm
- If you have a Westpac Premier Advantage Package home loan.
When you apply for a quote online, it will automatically include the discounts you are eligible for.
Making a claim with Westpac Home and Contents insurance
If you need to make a claim, you’ll want help fast. So Westpac simplifies the process through its 5-star rated claims service. Here’s what will happen:
- Ensure that you, your family and your property are safe
- Call the police if necessary
- Call Westpac on 1300 369 989 or print out the online claim form
- Lodge your claim, along with any required documents or additional information you may asked for
- Westpac will send you a letter confirming your claim and case number
- Westpac will appoint an assessor to inspect any damage to your home
- Westpac will notify you if your claim is accepted and if so, it will be settled within ten business days.
Compare Westpac Home and Contents insurance policies
Westpac Home and Contents Insurance offers flexible and comprehensive cover for your home and personal possessions. When combined with the extras it offers such as the sum insured safety net and emergency accommodation, it represents real value for money as well.
