If you are affected by a natural disaster, including bushfire, floods or other event, and you hold a relevant policy of insurance, you have a number of rights and obligations. Below is a summary of these rights and obligation. For more detailed information, please refer to our Insurance claims after a disaster booklet (PDF, 1.1 MB).

What you need to do

When it is safe to return to your property, you should make your own initial assessment of whether there is damage to your property. If damage has been suffered you should make contact with your insurance broker or insurer as soon as possible to advise them of your possible claim. If you are unsure who your insurer is or their details, call the Insurance Council of Australia on 1800 734 621 as they may be able to advise you. In relation to life insurance for a relative or friend, the Financial Services Councilmay be able to assist who the relevant insurer is and their details. Call 0423 576 999.

Do not be concerned if your insurance documents have been lost or damaged. Insurance companies keep records electronically and only require the policyholder’s name and address in order to locate a policy. In relation to other documents, see also Replacing lost or destroyed documents.

Most insurance policies cover for bushfire, but may not cover damage due to other types of events, such as flooding. In relation to flooding, see our Floods and Insurance Factsheet (PDF, 180 KB) for more information.

Check your policy wording and if you do not understand the policy, ask your insurer to explain.

Once you have notified your insurer, you will be given a claim number. If you are told that you cannot make a claim, or you are not given a claim number, you should seek legal advice immediately.

It may be possible to access government assistance in the short term to deal with immediate needs. You should ask Centrelink or visit sa.gov.au for further information.

Assessing the damage

You need to take photos of the damaged items and property, especially if they have to be discarded due to health risks. It is usual to wait for an assessor appointed by the insurer to come and inspect the damage before a clean-up commences.

If it is necessary to do emergency repairs, ensure that you take photos first, and keep receipts of all expenses to add to your claim. You should let the insurer know that you are doing the repairs before you start.

Depending on the amount of damage, an assessor will be appointed to inspect the damage, although it may take some time if many properties have been affected. Your insurer is required to keep you informed of the progress of your claim, and advise when the assessor will come.

You should make a list of the items that have either been damaged or destroyed. It may be difficult to remember what you had, but you can ask the assessor to help. You may be asked to provide receipts, records of purchase or other evidence of the the items you owned that were damaged or destroyed.

Expected time frames

Under the Insurance Code of Practice, if there are exceptional circumstances, such as those associated with a particular natural disaster which is classified as a catastrophe, the insurer has up to 12 months from the date of lodging the claim to decide whether or not to accept your claim.

If you have urgent financial needs, you can ask your insurance company to provide you with an advance payment to assist you whilst the claim is being assessed. You can also ask for your claim to be fast-tracked. You will need to provide reasonable proof of the need, and the insurer must provide the payment within 5 days of receiving your information. This amount will be deducted from your overall claim.

If your claim is finalised within one month of a catastrophe, you still have up to 12 months after the finalisation of the claim to ask for a review if you are unhappy with the outcome. This is so even if you have signed a release form.

If your claim is rejected

If your claim is rejected, you have not been given a claim number or you have not heard anything from your insurer, seek legal advice urgently. Call our free Legal Helpline on 1300 366 424. You may need to lodge a dispute with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). This is an independent dispute resolution service provided free to consumers. Call AFCA on 1800 931 678.

If you are unsure about any of your rights or obligations, you should seek legal advice. You can call the Legal Services Commission's free Legal Help Line on 1300 366 424.