Wildfires

Once you’ve made your claim and local authorities have confirmed it’s safe to re-enter the area, we’ll appoint an assessor to review your claim, assess the damage either in person or remotely, and agree with you on the scope and cost to repair it ‐ sometimes called a ‘scope of works’.

Depending on the property and damage, we might need to bring in specialist tradespeople like engineers, assessors, or builders, which can make your assessment take a little longer. Once the ‘scope of works’ is complete, our assessor will discuss your repair or settlement options with you.

• If a local authority (such as a government agency, Police, Fire and Emergency, or Civil Defence) has asked you to evacuate, and your policy covers you for temporary accommodation, you can go ahead and arrange a place to stay. In these situations, cover will apply regardless of whether your home is damaged or not – you'll just need to pay your excess.
  
  
• It’s up to you to arrange your temporary accommodation. Just let us know your choice so we can ensure it meets the terms specified in your policy wording. It’s important to note any temporary accommodation agreement made is held between you and the accommodation provider. In most cases your policy will outline that the accommodation must be of ‘reasonable’ value, so it’s good to check reasonable market rents in your area.
  
  
• If your home or belongings suffer more damage after you’ve been evacuated, and you have multiple claims in the same name, with the same brand, and insured with the same address you won’t need to pay another excess. This is covered under “one incident, one excess”.

Once you've made your claim, please complete a ‘Loss Schedule’, listing all your damaged items. Remember to include the item’s age, manufacturers’ names, model numbers, purchase dates and purchase prices, wherever you can. If you’re able to do so, taking photos of your damaged items in addition to your Loss Schedule can be helpful too.

Once you’ve completed your Loss Schedule, email it back to your Claim Manager and include your claim number in the subject line.

We'll be in touch with the next steps, but if you have any questions about your claim or your Loss Schedule, please get in touch.

• We’ll refer you to our Motor Vehicle Assessor or to a local repairer, who’ll review your claim, assess the damage, and work out the scope and cost to repair it. We’ll then review the estimated repair cost against your sum insured to work out if the vehicle is economic or uneconomic to repair.
  
  
• If your vehicle is economic to repair, your Claim Manager will review your policy and discuss the next steps with you. Depending on your policy, we can either pay you a lump sum payment based on the reasonable costs to repair the covered damage, or we can arrange to have your vehicle repaired ourselves.
  
  
• If your vehicle is uneconomic to repair, our assessor will refer your claim back to your Claim Manager who will review your policy and get in touch with you to discuss your claim settlement options.

• Remember to remove any personal items from the vehicle before it’s towed.
  
  
• Make sure your vehicle is locked securely with no keys left inside ‐ our tow team will get in touch to pick them up instead. If your personal items were damaged inside your vehicle, feel free to throw away any soft items or spoiled food, but remember to photograph and note them on your loss schedule first.
  
  
• If you have contents insurance, we’ll discuss with you whether you’re covered for any items that were damaged while inside your vehicle.
  
  
• If water entered your vehicle, it’s best to treat it as blackwater (contaminated with sewage), so make sure you stay safe by wearing heavy duty gloves, boots, and a face mask before removing your items.