South Australia floods: Can I make a home insurance claim?
If you're in the Kimba district and your home has been affected by the heavy rainfall over the weekend, here's how to make a claim.
Residents of South Australia's Eyre Peninsula are being impacted by major flooding following significant rainfall over the weekend.
The Bureau of Meteorology said that 160mm of rain was officially recorded in the 24 hours to 9am on Saturday – the most in a day ever documented in this area of South Australia.
Does home insurance cover floods?
Some home insurers include flood cover as standard while others make you pay extra to have it included. We checked home insurance policies available on Finder and found 7 plans that automatically cover flood insurance. These included Youi, Huddle and ANZ.
If you already have a home insurance policy but you're not sure if you're covered for flood damage, check your insurer's product disclosure statement (PDS) or give them a call.
If you hold a home insurance policy that covers floods and your home has been damaged, you should be covered.
However, if you didn't have a home insurance policy at least 72 hours prior to the floods occurring, you may not be covered for any damage it has caused.
This exclusion is to prevent people from taking out policies only when or after there is likely to be damage. You can find out more about home insurance exclusions here.
How to make a home insurance claim for flood damage
If your home has been damaged by heavy rainfall or floods, be aware that it is likely for insurers to take longer than usual to process your claim because of the large number of claims coming through.
To make a home insurance claim, here are the 3 steps to follow:
Make your home safe
Do your best to make your property safe and secure – call 000 in an emergency or the State Emergency Service (SES).
Call your insurer and let it know that your property has been damaged by the floods. If the damage is ongoing, it may be able to send out a tradesperson.
Gather evidence
Take as many photos of the damage as possible. Gather receipts and invoices of items you will claim for. This is to show proof of ownership. If you can't find the receipts, credit cards and bank statements are generally accepted.
Submit the claim to the insurer
It's now time to submit your home insurance claim. You can do this online or by mail. Insurers are required to respond to your claim within 10 days.
If you don't have home insurance, you can compare popular Australian brands side-by-side on the Finder home insurance page. A policy won't be able to cover you for the floods in South Australia at the moment but it can protect you from loss or damage in the future.
