Assessment, settlement, repairs & more

Damage to your home can sometimes mean that you can’t continue living there. 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.

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, we look over your property or items to determine what the damage was caused by and how much damage there is.

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 comes 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.

If we are unsure where a leak is coming from, we can arrange a Leak Detection Test. This is a non-invasive series of tests that are used to determine where a leak is coming from. If we arrange this for you, we will cover the cost of the completed test.

Once our assessing team has inspected your home, we will review their report, including photos and the overall 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.

In some cases, we may be able to immediately authorise your repairs before an assessment report has been submitted.

Disposal of any damaged items is covered as part of your insurance policy, so we can take care of that for you. 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. 

In some cases, we may also need to inspect an item to assess your claim and replace it to the same standard.

Yes. We’ll pay the costs of reasonable and appropriate storage of your contents in a commercial storage facility if they:

• Cannot reasonably be stored at your temporary accommodation
• Cannot remain in the home.

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

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

Our preference is to use one of our approved  suppliers to complete your repairs, however in some instances this might not be possible. You may request a cash settlement during a claim and our claims team will work through the options available.

The building contractor, who will answer any questions you have about the repairs and keep you updated on progress.

We’ll also appoint a case manager, who will keep an eye on things and contact you every so often to make sure you’re happy with the process.

Budget Direct has a panel of qualified and licenced 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.

As a Budget Direct customer, you’ll be pleased to know that you have access to our repairer network, which offers a lifetime guarantee on the workmanship provided in repairing your home.

You may also request a cash settlement during a claim and our claims team will work through the options available.

Our panel of suppliers can arrange replacement items for you or you can receive store credits to pick out your replacement items.

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 that are damaged or destroyed. We can not replace undamaged parts of your home or contents unless it’s specified in your policy documents.

We will pay to repair or replace the damaged parts of kitchen cupboards, cabinets, and benchtops. Undamaged parts are also included only if they are continuously joined to the damaged part of the cupboard, cabinet, or benchtop 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.

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.

Upon acceptance of your home insurance claim, we’ll appoint a Budget Direct team member to take care of the repairs to 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 repair quotes from our preferred builders
• appoint a building contractor to repair your home
• obtain – through the contractor – all the materials needed for the repairs
• keep you informed of progress
• ensure repairs comply with the latest building codes
• provide you with temporary accommodation, if necessary.

If your contents have been damaged or lost, we will:

• get them repaired and/or replaced through our network of suppliers and/or retailers, and delivered to your home, and/or
• give you a cash settlement.

 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.