Managing damage
If your home has flooded fully or partially, or rain has damaged your carpet, furniture or contents, you don't need to contact us right away or wait for an assessor to take the next steps. If it's safe to do so, please:
- Create a detailed list of damaged items, including either the make and model (if known) or a brief description of each item
- Take photos of damaged items
If you need to remove damaged items from the home, ensure you only do so where safe. If carpets are removed, where safe, keep a small sample
Please tell us about any damaged items the next time we speak. We'll work with you to make sure everything is included in your claim.
We need to confirm what’s been lost or damaged so we can repair or replace items covered by your policy. You can provide proof of loss or damage by:
- taking photos of damage
- giving details of a police report (for theft)
- proof of ownership documents (receipts, manuals etc).
We may ask for extra documents for higher-value items.
You can add these documents quickly and easily to your claim online.
Please contact our dedicated Claims Team via:
- Our live chat, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 9 pm, and on weekends 9 am to 5 pm AEST, or
- Call 13 50 50 Monday to Friday 8 am to 7 pm, and on weekends 8 am to 5 pm AEST.
When lodging a claim, just provide us with an estimated cost of how much food has spoiled. Claims involving food spoilage only are excess free. Policy limits for a food spoilage claims can be found in your PDS.
Please contact our dedicated Claims Team via Live chat on this page, Monday to Friday 8am to 9pm and weekends 9am to 5pm AEST.
Yes, please lodge a claim as soon as possible.
It depends on your policy. Please check your PDS or speak to your claims manager.
Repairs
Your claims manager will let you know if you need to complete any maintenance before repairs can start. As outlined in your policy documents maintaining your property is your responsibility.
If we accept your claim, we'll cover the reasonable and necessary costs to demolish, remove and dispose of any damaged parts of your home.
We may also cover removal and disposal of the debris which caused damage to your home, based on your policy benefits and related limits. This may include removing trees or parts of trees where they’ve caused insured damage to your home.
You can find more information, including the applicable limits in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) or speak with our claims team.
Yes. You can use a builder from our supplier network or select your own builder to repair or rebuild your home.
If you choose to use your own builder, we’ll cash settle your claim.
Please keep in mind:
- the quoted amount can be lower than the cost to repair or replace the item, as we’re able to secure discounted rates through our supplier network.
- our guarantee on the workmanship will not apply to repairs organised by you.
To learn more, refer to the PDS.
My cover
It depends. If your home isn’t safe to stay in, your temporary accommodation benefit may cover reasonable and necessary costs while it can’t be lived in.
It’s important to check your policy documents to understand your temporary accommodation benefit.
These documents, along with your Certificate of Insurance, explain your benefit limit and if any exclusions apply.
Our network of repairers and suppliers will restore your home to the condition it was in prior to the loss or damage for which you’re claiming. After assessing your home, we will create a scope of work.
A Scope of Work is a detailed summary of the work that will be undertaken to repair or rebuild your home.
After you’ve signed your Scope of Work, our builder will confirm the start and estimated completion dates. Your Claims Manager will also keep you up-to-date on the progress.
After frequent unpredictable flooding in recent years, it’s important that we provide you with flood cover even if it seems unlikely a flood will occur at your address.
First, make sure everyone is safe and out of danger. Then call us to make a claim.
If you have an Apia Home Insurance policy and can’t live in your home after an insured event, you may be entitled cover for reasonable and necessary temporary accommodation costs for the time it takes to repair or rebuild your home so it can be lived in again.
Cash settlements
A cash settlement is the money we may offer to settle your claim. This amount could cover some or all of your claim.
If you accept a cash settlement, we’ll pay you the amount it would cost us to repair the damage or replace any items, or the amount of a quote assessed and approved by us. You’ll be paid or direct deposit into your bank account, or if available, you can choose to be paid with a voucher, store credit or store value card.
Please keep in mind:
- the quoted amount can be lower than the cost to repair or replace the item, as we’re able to secure discounted rates through our supplier network.
- our guarantee on the workmanship will not apply to repairs organised by you.
For more information, please speak with your claims manager.
Your cash settlement is based on relevant repair, replacement, or rebuilding costs. Please see your PDS for more details. If this cost is greater than the sum insured on your Certificate of Insurance, the cash settlement will be your sum insured amount minus any required taxes or charges.
If you've been cash settled for your repairs and find further damage, you believe is related to the claimed event, we may need to review your claim. Call us to discuss.
If you have a mortgage, please contact your lender before accepting a cash settlement to discuss the payment. For more information, please refer to the ABA fact sheet [65.4 KB].
Keep in mind when an item is repaired by Apia, the repair work is guaranteed by us. If you choose to repair or replace the item yourself, we can’t guarantee this work.
You should consider obtaining legal or financial advice prior to accepting a cash settlement.
Yes. You can choose a cash settlement for your claim subject to the terms of your policy and policy limits. If this applies to you, the cash settlement amount will be based on the assessed quote less any applicable deductions.
Documents
A scope of work is a detailed summary of the work that will be undertaken to repair or rebuild your home. This includes the repairs that will be made in each room and the materials used. The scope of work will be updated as needed.
Your assessor, builder or claims manager will explain your scope of work and provide you with a copy for your consideration. Remember, your repairs or rebuild cannot commence until you have signed your scope of work.
A Confirmation of Transaction is a summary of the activities that relate to your claim, such as a cash settlement, repair or replacement. If you’d like a copy, please contact your claims manager and they’ll give you a copy when your claim is finalised.
Motor
In some circumstances Apia may send you an SMS requesting an excess payment.
Reports about misleading or deceptive car insurance schemes are becoming more common in Australia.
If you decide to engage a third party, you should always ask for their:
- Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) number to check it against ASIC’s database
- Financial Services Guide
- Fee for assisting in the lodgement of your claim, and
- Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) credentials.
If you suspect you’ve responded to a fraudulent email or been a victim of fraud, contact us immediately.
Home
Apia will never send an SMS message requesting an excess payment to progress your home claim. If you receive such a message, please delete it immediately.
Third party claims representatives (also called claimant intermediaries) often visit communities after weather events, such as hailstorms, cyclones, and floods.
To learn more, visit:
View your PDS and Certificate of Insurance in our Document Hub to find out what is and isn’t covered under your policy.
Yes. You can pay your excess by logging into your account and selecting the relevant claim in My Claim Manager.
Contact the claims team to discuss your payment options.
For more information visit: Customers In Need Of Extra Support | Apia
Our claims team will confirm the next steps for your claim. This may include us booking an assessment, arranging for repairs or replacements from a restorer, and/or discussing payment options.
This may take longer than usual if there’s been a severe weather event, but we’ll be in touch as soon as possible. In the meantime, remember to take photos or videos of the damage and if possible, a sample of each type of carpet. You can also remove wet carpet and damaged contents before an assessor visits your home.
Log into your Apia account to view claim updates, message your claims manager, chat live with our online claims specialists, and upload documents and photos. If you don’t have an account yet, registering only takes a moment.
A home claim assessment determines the outcome of your claim after loss or damage to your home and/or contents.
Once you’ve lodged your claim, we’ll let you know what the next steps are for your claim. In some instances, we’ll organise for an assessor or builder to contact you to arrange a time to attend your property and inspect the damage or loss.
We’ll let you know the outcome of your claim as soon as we can. If we require additional information, we’ll let you know. If your claim is covered, we can then discuss repairs or settlement depending on the circumstances of your claim. You can track your claim online
Our claims managers will evaluate the damage at lodgement to determine next steps.
Based on your circumstances, we may direct you to one of our trusted repairers or an alternate location to further assess your vehicle.
Managing my claim
It’s against the law to drive a car with a major windscreen crack, so our motor claims specialists will organise towing. In the meantime, try to cover your windows or windscreen.
To help us progress your motor claim, try to send us images of:
a three-quarter front view of your vehicle
a three-quarter rear view of your vehicle (taken from opposite side of your front image)
a rear view clearly showing your number plate
any identifying car model badges (GLi, TDi, etc)
VIN number
your car’s interior from a few different angles
your odometer
the compliance plate (the build date of your car), and
a wide shot of damaged area.
Repairs
Laws vary across Australia regarding when a vehicle needs to be written off, so we’ll let you know if your car is repairable and talk you through your options after it’s assessed.
It depends on your policy. Please check your policy documents or speak to your claims manager.
Depending on the damage, we’ll either use conventional or paintless dent repair (more on this in the FAQ below). We will confirm this with you after your car assessment is complete.
Paintless dent removal (PDR) is a less intrusive way of repairing vehicle damage. It involves pushing dents out of damaged panels to restore them to their original condition.
With PDR, most vehicle components don’t need dismantling and little to no repainting is required. This means, on average, PDR repairs have around a 50% shorter turn-around when compared to conventional methods.
Assessment
Please remove all personal items from your car before attending your appointment and bring your registration papers with you.
We’ll help you make travel arrangements should you need to leave your car.
The appointment should take approximately 15 minutes. We’ll confirm next steps with you after the assessment.
