Woolworths Home Insurance

Finding home and contents insurance can be a daunting process for many. The Australian insurance market is made up of literally hundreds of different policy options so choosing the right one can take some time and research. With the right insurance in place, you will feel safer and will not feel the pinch if you have to repair your home or replace any stolen or damaged items.

The ideal home insurance policy covers any cost you may incur due to loss or damage of the structure. Even contents within your home can be insured against loss or damage. Most insurers will offer the two cover options as a package. That is why it is important to calculate the cover you require, as it will have an effect on the premiums you pay each month.

What cover options does Woolworths offer?

Some of the different types of home cover that Woolworths offers include:

• Building Insurance
• Contents Insurance
• Combined Building and Contents Insurance

What events will I be insured for?

Woolworths Home Insurance will provide cover for:

• Fire and Explosion
• Storm, Rainwater and Floods
• Earthquake, Tsunami and Volcanic Eruptions
• Lightning
• Malicious Damage Including Vandalism
• Theft
• Riot, Industrial Unrest and Civil Commotion
• Impact: If your home or assets get damaged by a falling branch, communication or power pole, vehicle, aircraft, watercraft, trailer, satellite dish or debris from space, it will be covered. This event also covers damage due to falling radio or TV aerial.
• Bursting, leaks, discharge or overflow of liquids or water from taps and pipes
• Accidental Glass Breakage: If you insure your home, you also will have cover for replacing window glass and other fixed glass, including shower screen, basins, baths and toilets.

Each insured event will have its own set of exclusions for when a benefit will not be paid. Knowing what is covered and what is not will allow you to choose the right insurance for your needs and according to your budget.

What other benefits does Woolworths home insurance offer?

When you select Woolworths Home Insurance, you also can select the optional benefits based on your needs. It is prudent to remember that these optional benefits will have an effect on your premiums. The more optional benefits you choose, the higher will be your premium. Some of the optional benefits offered by Woolworths Home Insurance are as follows:

• Electrical Motor Burnout: If the wiring of a domestic motor burns out or fuses due to an electrical current, it is defined as electrical motor burnout. If you take this optional benefit, Woolworths will pay for the cost of repairing or replacing the affected motor. It also covers the loss you incur due to spoilage of refrigerated or frozen food or when public electricity supply fails to reach your home.
• Portable Valuables: You can get cover in two different forms. Group cover protects any number of portable valuables from the eligible list of items to a maximum value of $1,000 per item. Itemised cover protects items that exceed $1,000 in value each. Each item may be insured individually. Valuables that can be covered include:

What exclusions are there?

It is important to note that there are certain exclusions applied to the insuring of individual items. If loss or damage occurs due to one of the following reasons, the cover will not be valid.

• Cleaning, repairing, restoring, renovating or altering
• Overwinding, mechanical or electrical breakdown, failure
• Scratching or denting

The loss and damage of the following items also will not be covered:

How do I make a claim?

There are four simple and easy steps if you want to claim your Woolworths Home Insurance. These steps are as follows:

• Step 1: Inform the Woolworths Claims Team about the claim. This can be done via telephone 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Give the details and you will be issued a claim number. The other option is to download the claim form, fill it out and email or fax it to Woolworths as quickly as possible.
• Step 2: Your claim will be assessed by the Woolworths assessor. During this assessment, the damage of the building and/or contents will be assessed. Woolworths will then make arrangements for a quote or organise emergency repairs.
• Step 3: Depending on the type of home insurance you have, the claim will be settled. It will be different for Building Insurance and Contents Insurance, and Woolworths will decide on the service provider who will repair the damage. In such cases, the excess would is paid directly to the service provider. If you opt against the repair or rebuilding, Woolworths will settle your claim.
• Step 4: Once your claim is accepted, all payments will be made as per the terms and conditions of your home insurance policy.

Other questions you may have

• Q: How should I determine how much to insure my home or building?

  • A: When you are calculating the amount of home insurance to take out, you should consider the entire cost of rebuilding the building, including the costs you will incur for making any kind of structural improvement, such as adding fences, pool or carport. Never take the land value when you are calculating the amount.

• Q: How can I pay for my home insurance?

  • A: You can opt for direct debit from your bank account or credit card. Premiums can be paid on an annual or monthly basis.

• Q: Will I have to pay extra if I choose monthly payment basis?

  • A: No, Woolworths does not levy any extra charges if you decide to pay for your home insurance on a monthly basis. There are no hidden costs involved.

• Q: If my payment date happens to be a public holiday or weekend, how can I pay?

  • A: If the date happens to be a holiday or weekend, you can always make the payment on the next business day without incurring a penalty or fine.

• Q: What is excess?

  • A: Excess is a contribution made by you towards the claim. This helps to make the insurance premiums affordable. If you make a claim, you will be charged an excess and you can decide what the excess level should be. Generally, a higher excess will result in lower premiums. You have the option of increasing your excess level during the period of your insurance. If you want to decrease the excess level, it can only be done when you are renewing your home insurance policy.

• Q: I seem to have misplaced my home insurance documents. What should I do?

  • A: If you have lost your home insurance document, you can contact Woolworths call centre and request for a copy. The copy will be sent to you by fax, post or email.

• Q: Who underwrites Woolworths Insurance?

  • A: All Woolworths Home Insurance policies are issued by the Hollard Insurance Company.

Who is Woolworths?

Since the opening of its first retail store in Sydney in 1924, Woolworths has grown to become the largest retail store in Australia. Over the years Woolworths has extended its services to now offer banking and financial solutions, including insurance and credit cards. Insurance products currently offered by Woolworths include:

• Travel insurance
• Car insurance
• Home insurance
• Life insurance

Woolworths makes it easy for homeowners to pay their premiums, which can be directly debited via bank account or credit card. As a result, you never have to worry about missing or delaying your premium. You have the option of combining the insurance for the building and contents, so that a single policy covers not just your home, but also the assets therein. If you are staying in a rented house or apartment, it is worth considering contents insurance to look after the assets in the building. This cover extends to clothing, jewellery and furniture as well. There are several options that you can choose from to ensure your personal belongings are adequately protected.