In some circumstances Apia may send you an SMS requesting an excess payment. 

During major events, third parties may door knock or letter drop offering to manage your insurance claim. Please be aware that: 

• these services are not provided by us
• we’ll never send an assessor or builder to your home without first notifying you, and
• we won’t demand payment on top of your excess for the work being undertaken.

If you’re approached by a third party, you may be asked to pay for these services using a percentage of your insurance settlement. You should always carefully consider the use of these services as your insurance policy doesn’t cover this cost.

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. 

Remember: Never sign a contract/authorisation to act on your behalf (physically or electronically) until you’ve received the information you’ve requested.

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.

If your home has completely or partially flooded, or your carpet, furniture, or contents were damaged by rain, remember to:

• compile a detailed list of items (including the make and model or a description)
• take photos of the damaged items, and if possible a sample of each type of carpet and
• remove the damaged items from inside the home and place outside for disposal.

Let us know about the damaged items next time we’re in touch. There is no need to immediately reach out and you do not need to wait for an assessor. Rest assured, we’ll work with you to include all details in your claim.

Validating loss or damage to contents helps us take the necessary steps to repair or replace covered items.

Proof of loss or damage can be given by providing:

• photos of damage
• details of a police report (for theft), or 
• proof of ownership documents (receipts, manuals etc). 

For more valuable items we’ll ask for more evidence to substantiate your claim than we would for less expensive items.

These documents can quickly and easily be added to your claim online.

Please contact our dedicated Claims Team via Live chat Monday to Friday 8am to 9pm and weekends 9am to 5pm AEST. 

When lodging a claim, just provide us with an estimated cost of how much food spoiled. Claims that only involve food spoilage are excess free. You can find out your policy limit for a food spoilage claim 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. 

There’s no need to immediately reach out if you find anything new. Just make a note of the problem and take photos. The next time we’re in touch, let us know about it and we’ll include all the details in your claim.

If a different part of your home is damaged by another event, please lodge a new claim online.

Your claims manager will let you know if you need to complete any maintenance before repairs can start. This is because maintaining your property is your responsibility, as outlined in your policy documents.

If we accept your claim, we’ll cover the reasonable and necessary costs of demolishing and removing damaged parts of your home. This includes fallen trees if they’ve damaged your home. 

You can find your policy limits for removal of debris in the PDS or talk to our dedicated claims team is you have questions.

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’lll cash settle your claim. The amount we pay may be less than what it could cost you to arrange the repairs or rebuild with your own builder. This is because we can secure discounts within our builder supplier network.

To learn more, refer to the PDS.

It depends. Your temporary accommodation benefit covers reasonable and necessary costs if your home is unsafe and 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.

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 by cheque 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 that:

• the quoted amount may be less than what it costs you to fix or replace the item. This is because we’re able to secure discounts from our supplier network.
• our lifetime warranty 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 settled your repairs with cash, it’s possible further damage not included in your settlement of your claim is found. If this occurs, please cease any repair work and contact us immediately. We’ll then assess the additional damage. If we determine it was caused by the insured event and covered under your policy, we’ll make an additional payment to complete your repairs.

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].

It may also be helpful to keep in mind that 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.

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.

To help keep you in your home, we can cover the cost of a generator if this means you don’t need temporary accommodation.  
Your claims manager can share more details, such as limits.

First, make sure everyone is safe and out of danger. Then make a claim and let us know if and if you require emergency assistance.

If you have a Apia Home Insurance policy and can’t live in your home after an insured event, you may be entitled to 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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.  

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.

The $741m Resilient Home Fund program is jointly funded by the Queensland and Australian Governments and supports resilience measures in Queensland.

The following events, as prescribed by the government, are covered by the program:

• 10 November to 3 December 2021 | Central, southern and western rainfall and flooding
• 29 December 2021 to 10 January 2022 | Ex-tropical cyclone Seth
• 22 February to 7 March 2022 | South-east Queensland rainfall and flooding.
  

If you’re unsure of your eligibility, please contact the Resilient Home Fund for more information.

The government defines eligibility criteria for the Resilient Home Fund as follows: 

• Your home is within one of the local government areas activated for Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
• You are the owner-occupier or landlord of the home for which you are applying for funding.
• The home is a residence (house/unit/duplex), not used primarily for business purposes.
• The home was inundated by water in liveable rooms or areas during the 2021–22 rainfall and flooding events listed below:
  • central, southern, and western Queensland rainfall and flooding – 10 November to 3 December 2021
  • ex-tropical cyclone Seth – 29 December 2021 to 10 January 2022
  • south-east Queensland rainfall and flooding – 22 February to 5 April 2022.

Please contact the Resilient Home Fund for more information about eligibility criteria.  

Funding will be used to repair, retrofit, raise, or buy back homes within local government areas impacted by the events covered by the Resilient Home Fund.  Visit the Resilient Home Fund to learn more about the categories covered by the fund.

No. Apia can’t apply for a grant on your behalf and has no influence over who is eligible for a government grant.  Deciding whether to apply is up to you.  

You may wish to register your interest even if your claim has been finalised. This is because you’ll deal with the government directly on all aspects of the program.

For more information on grants, visit the Queensland Government’s Resilient Home Fund Program website.