Assessment, settlement, repairs & more

Sometimes damage to your home and contents can mean you can’t stay living at your insured address. As part of your claim we can assist you, your family, and pets with temporary accommodation while your home is unliveable and being repaired or rebuilt.

If your home becomes unliveable as a result of an insured event at the insured address and we agree to pay your claim, we will pay for temporary accommodation.

We pay up to 10% of your home or contents sums insured for temporary accommodation for up to a maximum period of 12 months. This is in addition to your home or contents sum insured.

We will pay the costs of reasonable and appropriate accommodation for you, your family, and your pets while your home is being repaired or rebuilt.

Your home is considered ‘unliveable’ when it is so damaged that:

• Normal domestic activities like cooking and sanitation cannot be performed; or
• Local authorities will not provide permission for the home to be inhabited; or
• We otherwise agree that you can’t live in the home.

During an assessment an assessor or builder will carefully inspect the damaged areas to determine what the damage was caused by and how much damage there is. They will take detailed notes and photographs of the damage, check for any safety hazards related to the damage and take measurements of the damaged areas to help estimate the cost of repairs or replacement caused by the insured event. 

We can conduct the assessment in person with one of our assessors or a partner builder/repairer, or in some cases, we can conduct a virtual assessment using pictures and videos.

If one of our assessors or builders come to your home, it’ll take them roughly 30 to 60 minutes to complete their assessment of the loss or damage to your home and/or contents.

When claiming for escape of liquid, you may not know the source of the escape of liquid so exploratory work may be required to find the source. Where possible, exploratory work should use non-destructive methods to prevent further unnecessary loss or damage.

If we accept your claim, we will:

• pay reasonable costs to locate the source of the escaped liquid at the insured address using the most suitable method of exploratory work
• repair the damage to your insured home and contents caused by necessary exploratory work.

This does not include repairs to any burst pipe or other leak source.

A leak detection test is used to find the source of an escape of liquid. Where possible, exploratory work should use non-destructive methods to prevent further unnecessary loss or damage.

If we accept your claim, we will:

• pay reasonable costs to locate the source of the escaped liquid at the insured address using the most suitable method of exploratory work
• repair the damage to your insured home and contents caused by necessary exploratory work.

This does not include repairs to any burst pipe or other leak source.

Once our assessing team has inspected your home, we will review their report, photos and the Scope of Works.

We will let you know when we receive the report and if anything further is required from you. We will then contact you to advise you of the claim outcome and what the next steps are.

When you have Contents Insurance and your contents are damaged, we will pay reasonable and necessary costs to remove and dispose of damaged contents. We may need to inspect an item to assess your claim and replace it to the same standard.

While we ask that you do not throw anything out, it’s always best to speak with our claims consultants first.

For example, if there was a flood and your carpets and furniture were ruined due to flood water, mud, or sewage then these items may need to be thrown out before an assessor visits your home.

When you have Contents Insurance, we will pay reasonable and necessary costs to remove and store your contents in a commercial storage facility if your home is unliveable.

Your home is considered ‘unliveable’ when it is so damaged that:

• Normal domestic activities like cooking and sanitation cannot be performed; or
• Local authorities will not provide permission for the home to be inhabited; or
• We otherwise agree that you can’t live in the home.

If we have accepted a claim for loss or damage to your contents, we will aim to repair or replace them using a repairer or supplier in our network.

If a damaged item can be repaired quickly, easily and economically (e.g. a television), we’ll aim to repair it.

If it’s uneconomic to repair or damaged beyond repair, we’ll aim to replace it with a new one.

If we are able to repair or replace, we will:

• Choose and appoint the repairer or supplier and may enter contracts with them on your behalf, or
• Pay the invoice for the repair or replacement on your behalf, or
• Obtain replacement contents on your behalf and provide these to you, or
• Provide you with vouchers or gift cards to purchase the replacementitem through one of our suppliers.

If we have accepted a claim for loss or damage to your home, we will aim to repair or rebuild using builders or suppliers in our network. 

In some circumstances, we may be unable to repair or rebuild all or part of the home. If this is the case, we will pay you the reasonable amount it would cost you to repair or rebuild the accepted loss or damage to your home to the same standard, specification, or quality.

If we are able to repair or rebuild, but we agree to your request to pay you a cash settlement, we will pay you the amount it would have cost us to repair or rebuild, plus any applicable Additional Benefits.

The building contractor is the best point of contact to answer any questions you have about the repairs and keep you updated on progress.

We’ll also appoint a claims manager, who will oversee your claim and contact you every so often to make sure you’re happy with the process.

Budget Direct has a panel of qualified and licensed builders across the country. Our panel of builders and suppliers undergo strict selection criteria and ongoing performance reviews to ensure they align with our expectations and values. This means that when we send someone to your property they will maintain professional conduct and endeavour to treat your home as if it was their own.

We guarantee the quality of the work and the materials used for all authorised repairs. Our builders hold the required licences to provide services in the states or territories in which they operate.

If we have accepted a claim for loss or damage to your home, we will aim to repair or rebuild using builders or suppliers in our network. As a Budget Direct customer, you’ll be pleased to know that our repairer network offers a guarantee on the workmanship provided in repairing your home.

In some circumstances, we may be unable to repair or rebuild all or part of the home, and this can impact how we settle the claim.

If we have accepted a claim for loss or damage to your contents, we will aim to repair or replace them using a repairer or supplier in our network. In some circumstances, we may be unable to repair or replace your contents, and this can impact how we settle the claim.

It depends on the extent of your home’s damage, the availability of materials, and our builder’s workload.

The builder will be able to give you an estimated timeframe and, once the repairs get underway, will keep you informed of progress.

We will only pay to repair or rebuild the parts of your home or contents items that are damaged or destroyed. You cannot claim to replace undamaged parts of your home or contents, except as otherwise specified in your policy documents.

We will pay to repair or replace the damaged parts of kitchen cupboards, cabinets and benchtops. We will pay to repair or replace undamaged parts if they are continuously joined to the damaged part and made of the same material. We will pay to repair or replace internal blinds or curtains, carpets, other floor coverings, or wall coverings, but only in the same room, hallway or passageway where the loss or damage occurred. We consider the same room as the area starting and finishing at the nearest walls, doorway, archway, or other opening.

We won’t pay to repair or rebuild undamaged property in order to achieve a match with repaired or replaced property.

The Scope of Works is a detailed list of the repairs needed to restore your home. It identifies the types of material, dimensions, and areas of your home to be repaired.

A Scope of Works allows our building team to confirm the correct method for repairing your home and appoint the right tradespeople to undertake the work. For more complex or significant damage, a Scope of Works helps to manage timeframes and the coordination of multiple trades or contractors. It may also be used to obtain additional repair quotes.

The contract gives the tradespeople permission to carry out the work outlined in the Scope of Works at your property.

If we have accepted a claim for loss or damage to your home and / or contents, we will aim to repair, rebuild or replace using builders or suppliers in our network.  In some circumstances, we may be unable to repair, rebuild or replace all or part of the home and / or contents, and this can impact how we settle the claim.

 If you’re unhappy with any of your home insurer’s decisions or actions — including a denied claim — you may make a complaint.

Budget Direct’s complaints process is as follows:

Step 1: Speak to us

We want to resolve any complaint or dispute for you as quickly as possible. The best place to start is to contact our customer service team.

Step 2: Our team will help you

We will acknowledge your complaint within 24 hours of receiving it or as soon as practicable.

Our team will try to resolve your complaint immediately and will provide you with a unique reference number.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction within 5 business days, we will escalate it to our Customer Disputes Resolution Team for review.

Step 3: If we can't agree, you can seek an independent review

If you are dissatisfied with our final decision, you can complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). What to do before you complain to AFCA

Find out more about how to complain to Budget Direct.