Claims – what is and isn’t covered?

Here’s a simple list of losses that are and aren’t covered by Initio’s home and contents insurance policies.

Note this is not an exhaustive list but some of our more popular claims. Please refer to our full policy for more details.

Covered:

✅   Car crashes into front fence.

✅   Burglary.

✅   Candle is left burning unattended, curtain catches alight and the whole house burns down.

✅   Washing machine discharges into blocked sink and floods laundry and hallway.

✅   Child draws on bedroom walls with permanent marker.

✅   Tree falls on house in a storm and damages spouting and roof.

✅   Wind catches french door: bends frame and breaks glass.

✅   Frozen pipes cause pipes to crack and burst.

✅   Teenagers jostling each other in the bathroom and accidentally knock toilet over.

✅   Hot pot placed on kitchen bench and laminate top melts.

✅   Fence is blown over by high winds.

✅   Someone accidentally drives their car through the back wall of the garage.

✅   Bath is accidentally left running and it overflows.

✅   Car accidentally drives into garage door, bending it and knocking it off the runners.

✅   Laptop dropped and broken (owner occupied home with replacement contents only).

✅   Electric storm causes appliances to blow.

✅   Tenant is aggravated about being evicted and attacks the house with a golf club, leaving numerous holes in walls and smashed windows.

✅  Cellphone accidentally dropped in the toilet and no longer works (owner occupied  home with replacement contents only).

✅   A full bottle of shampoo is accidentally dropped on the shower base and causes a crack.  The shower is immediately turned off and a replacement shower base is installed.

✅   Potential buyer requests a methamphetamine test be completed prior to the sale of a rental property.  Results come back positive and property requires cleaning.  Total claim is under $30,000.

✅   Seal on hot water cylinder fails as it’s old and brittle, water slowly drips onto chipboard flooring and causes it to swell and disintegrate, joists are damaged also.  Hot water cylinder seal is not covered, but resultant damage to flooring is.

✅   Skirting boards appear swollen and wet behind a bookshelf, carpet is wet also.  Cause is determined to be a nail put through a PVC pipe years ago, it’s slowly rusted out and left a pin prick hole which has been leaking for a week or two before it’s noticed.  The pipe repair is not covered, but the resultant damage is.

 

Not Covered:

✖   Pot plant rots carpet.

✖   Roof tiles come loose over a period of time.

✖   Broken window glass that is not over excess amount.

✖   Tenant leaves house dirty and needs to be cleaned.

✖   Cat messes on carpet at various intervals and it isn’t cleaned properly.  Stains & odour remain.

✖   Tenant leaves behind rubbish and insured has to pay to dump it.

✖   Tenant leaves behind personal belongings and insured has to pay to dump it.

✖   Shower base is cracked and water gets through, soaking the floorboards and joists.

✖   Sealer breaks down around a bath and water soaks through over a period of time.

✖   Oven elements rusted due to insufficient cleaning and maintenance.

 

“All claims are different and they are assessed on their own merits and facts. The above does not imply a guaranteed approach to all such claims”.