What’s covered by Home Insurance?
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply.
For full details, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.
Insured events
Budget Direct Home Insurance covers your house and domestic outbuildings against loss or damage caused by the following insured events:
- Storm and rainwater (flood cover is optional)
- Fire
- Lightning
- Theft (or attempted theft)
- Escape of liquid (e.g. burst pipe)
- Impact at home (e.g. fallen tree)
- Breakage of glass, ceramic and sanitary fixtures
- Malicious damage, vandalism, riot or civil commotion
- Explosion
- Earthquake or tsunami
Upgrade your cover
For an additional premium, you can customise your Home Insurance by adding one or more of the following optional covers to your policy:
How do I add an optional cover to my policy?
You can add one or more of these optional covers when you get a quote and buy a policy or – if you’ve already bought a policy – by contacting us or logging into your online account and editing your policy.
Landlord insurance
Budget Direct Home Insurance is not only for homeowners, but landlords too.
Read more
How much cover do I need?
It’s up to you to determine how much it would cost to replace your home if it was totally destroyed, for example, by fire – the ‘sum insured’.
This is the maximum amount we’ll pay, so it’s important you’re comfortable the sum insured you nominate is sufficient to replace your entire home at today’s prices.
Use these calculators to estimate the cost of replacing your home
Compare home insurance savings
Get a quote online and save 15%^
Getting a Budget Direct Home Insurance quote is quick and easy.
If you get a quote and buy a policy online, we’ll give you a 15% discount on your premium.
Find out more
The information on this page is a summary only. For more details about Budget Direct Home Insurance, including the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions that apply, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.
How to make a claim
If your home is damaged or destroyed by an insured event and you need to make a claim, we’re here to help. Make a claim on your Home Insurance policy.
Repairing your home
Upon acceptance of your claim, we’ll appoint a team member to take care of the repairs or rebuilding of your home. We will:
- Assess the nature and extent of the damage or loss.
- Make your home safe (e.g. remove a fallen tree).
- Source all quotes from our preferred builders.
- Appoint a building contractor to repair or rebuild your home.
- Obtain – through the contractor – all the necessary building materials.
- Keep you informed of progress.
- Ensure the repairs comply with the latest building codes.
- Provide you with temporary accommodation, if necessary.
Award-winning Australian home insurance
After comparing the cost and features of 135 policies offered by 52 insurers, Canstar presented us with one of only three national awards for Outstanding Value Home & Contents Insurance in 2019.
We've also won Money magazine's Best of the Best title for Home & Contents Insurance four years running (2017–20); and a Mozo Experts Choice 2019 award for Exceptional Value Home & Contents Insurance.
To cap it off, the Australian public voted us the Gold Winner in the Home & Contents Insurance category of the 2019 Reader's Digest Quality Service Awards survey.
Need more cover?
It goes without saying that, if your home is badly damaged or destroyed, some or all of your contents may also be harmed or lost.
For peace of mind, you may want to consider getting combined Home and Contents Insurance.
Get 30% off your premium when you get a quote and buy a combined policy online.
Frequently asked questions
What does home insurance cover?
‘Home insurance’ is an umbrella term that encompasses three variations of cover:
- Home and contents insurance covers your house and other structures on your property as well as your belongings for loss or damage due to events like fire, theft and storms.
- Home insurance covers your house and other structures on your property, including your garden shed, fences, and in-ground swimming pool.
- Contents insurance covers the belongings inside your home, including furniture, whitegoods, electrical appliances, clothing, and more.
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply to Budget Direct home insurance; for full details, please read the product disclosure statement.
How can I get cheaper home insurance?
There are a number of ways you can reduce your Budget Direct home and/or contents insurance premium, including:
- Select the right level of cover: Our range of optional benefits means you don’t have to pay for cover you may not need, e.g. flood cover.
- Buy your policy online: If you get a quote and buy a policy online, you’ll receive a 15% (home or contents) or 30% (home and contents) discount on your premium.
- Increase your excess: Choose an excess between $100 and $5,000; by increasing your excess, you could lower your premium.
- Pay your premium annually: By paying annually instead of in instalments (i.e. fortnightly or monthly), you’ll pay a smaller premium and avoid administration fees.
Does home insurance cover garages?
Yes – Budget Direct home insurance covers loss or damage to your garage or carport due to an insured event.
These events include impact at the home, for example due to a tree falling on your garage during a storm.
How much home insurance do I need?
It’s up to you to determine how much it would cost to replace your home and contents – the ‘sums insured’ – if they were totally destroyed, for example, by fire.
It’s the maximum amount we’ll pay, so it’s important you’re comfortable the amount you nominate is sufficient to replace your entire home and all of your contents at today’s prices.
Use these calculators to help you estimate how much it would cost to replace your home and contents.
For a more accurate rebuilding cost estimate, we recommend you consult a professional valuer or building contractor.
Will my home repairs be guaranteed?
Yes – we guarantee the quality of authorised repairs, including the workmanship and materials.
Home Insurance Knowledge Base
Your questions about insurance all
answered in one place.
Useful links
^ The online discount applies to the premium paid for a new Budget Direct insurance policy initiated online on or after 29 March 2017. The discount varies by product: 30% for combined Smart Home and Contents insurance, 15% for Smart Home only or Smart Contents only policies. We reserve the right to change the offer without notice. The base-rate premiums are subject to change. The discount does not apply to any renewal offer of insurance.
*Based on customers who have made a claim on Budget Direct Home Insurance, and who were surveyed between 10 February 2015 and 29 February 2020. Visit www.budgetdirectreviews.com.au for more details.
|| Damage caused by an insured event. The benefit is capped at 10% of your sum insured. For more details, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.
§ The addition of Flood Cover to a policy is subject to our underwriting criteria.
† {comparitron-disclaimer}
