Building Insurance

Flood means the covering of normally dry land by water that has escaped or been released from the normal confines of things like a lake, river or other natural watercourse. It doesn't include high tides, waves and other movements of the sea like storm surges and we don't cover retaining walls, sea walls, garden borders and free standing outdoor walls.

We do not cover loss or damage caused by actions or movements of the sea even if they occur during a storm, flood or storm surge.

Lightning, including associated power surges, will be covered providing a qualified repairer gives written confirmation to show lightning as the cause of loss or damage and the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology has a record of lightning in the area.

Fire is considered burning with flames and also includes damage from heat, ash, soot and smoke that is the direct result of a fire within 100 metres of the insured address. Arcing, scorching and cigarette burns are not fire damage unless a fire spreads from the initial burn spot.
If there is a bushfire in your area, we will also cover the extra costs of replacing water in any tank, container, pool, spa or other water storage vessel that has been used to limit the spread of bushfires at your address, and the cost of cleaning any fire retardant off your home. The most we will pay under this extra costs cover is $1000 for any one incident.

We cover damage caused in the first 72 hours after an earthquake or tsunami. A tsunami is not considered an action or movement of the sea.

Theft or burglary occurs when someone enters the insured address without your consent and steals or intends to steal items. We don't cover loss or damage caused by anyone living at the address.

Glass breakage that occurred by accident, i.e. without intent, is covered. It includes fitted glass in furniture and unfixed hung mirrors. It doesn't include things like greenhouses, drinking glasses and chips or scratches to the surface of the glass.

Glass breakage that occurred by accident, i.e. without intent, is covered. It includes things like windows, fixed mirrors, sinks and glass parts of fixed cooking appliances. It doesn't include things like greenhouses, drinking glasses and chips or scratches to the surface of the glass.

If you have selected the optional cover 'Excess-free Glass’ cover, you may not have to pay an excess for a claim, depending on the item which has been damaged. Refer to the PDS.

This covers damage caused by liquid leaking, overflowing or bursting from things like your fridge, washing machine, bath (but not shower), toilet, fixed pipes (except agricultural pipes), swimming pool, water main, fixed cooling system or aquarium.

We do not cover the cost of fixing the item from which the liquid escaped, wear, tear and gradual deterioration or loss or damage as a result of a gradual process of liquid leaking, splashing, dripping or overflowing.  See the PDS for more details on what we don't cover'. 

We cover damage which occurs at the insured address when hit by an object such as a tree, car and even space debris. It doesn't cover trees being cut back, cut down or moved by you or for you.

We don't cover loss or damage caused by insects, vermin or rodents, but we will cover damage they cause if it is covered under ‘Fire (including bushfire)’ on page 46 or ‘Escape of liquid‘ page 47.

We cover damage caused by an explosion but we don't cover the cost to repair or replace the tank or container that exploded.

We cover loss or damage caused by riot, civil commotion or public disturbance, for example when a violent crowd moves down your street. We don't cover damage caused by someone who entered the property with consent.

This includes acts that were committed with intent to damage for example vandals breaking your letterbox or painting graffiti on the walls of the insured address.

You can claim for these after an insured event has occurred

You can claim for these independently of an insured event occurring

Some specific items have fixed claim limits, while others have flexible limits that can be increased on request. The limit is the most we can pay when you make a claim.

Depending on which level of cover you choose these may be automatically included as standard, or available to add on to your policy for an additional cost

When we repair or rebuild the home, we guarantee the quality of workmanship of that work for the lifetime of the home, if we have authorised, arranged and paid the builder or repairer directly for this work.

Provides up to $20 million to pay compensation, including all associated legal costs, for death or injury to other people, or loss or damage to their property.
For example, with home cover, if someone's injured falling down your stairs, which you're held legally liable for, we cover damages (money paid to the victim as compensation) including all associated legal costs up to $20 million.

Provides up to $20 million to pay compensation, including all associated legal costs, for death or injury to other people, or loss or damage to their property resulting from an incident anywhere in Australia or New Zealand.

New for old means:

• New materials, new items;
• New for old, regardless of age;
• Same type, standard and specification as when new (or if not reasonably available, similar type, standard and specification).

For a full definition of ‘new for old’ and for how we settle home and contents claims, refer to the PDS.

New for old means:

• New materials, new items;
• New for old, regardless of age;
• Same type, standard and specification as when new (or if not reasonably available, similar type, standard and specification).

For a full definition of ‘new for old’ and for how we settle home and contents claims, refer to the PDS.

New for old means:

• New materials, new items;
• New for old, regardless of age;
• Same type, standard and specification as when new (or if not reasonably available, similar type, standard and specification).

For a full definition of ‘new for old’ and for how we settle home and contents claims, refer to the PDS.

If you can't live in your home after an incident covered by your policy, we'll pay for your reasonable temporary accommodation costs – up to 10% of your home sum insured (15% with Platinum cover) - until the home is rebuilt or repaired to a liveable condition.

If you make a claim for your contents after an event and you also have undamaged contents that cannot be kept at your home, we'll pay the reasonable cost to store the undamaged contents until they can be kept at your home.

We'll cover the costs to re-establish documents like birth and marriage certificates, driving licences, passports, jewellery valuations, wills and the land title to your home.

If we pay a claim for your home to a credit provider that fully repays your home loan, we'll pay the administrative and legal costs of discharging the mortgage or deleting the mortgagee from the land title on your home.

If you can't live in your home after an incident, we'll cover any reasonable increase in normal living expenses which are necessary to maintain your normal standard of living until your home is liveable or you are permanently relocated.

If you can't live in your home after an incident covered by your policy, we'll pay for your reasonable temporary accommodation costs – up to 10% of your home sum insured (15% with Platinum cover) - until the home is rebuilt or repaired to a liveable condition.

Covers electricity costs that you start to incur if your alternative green energy generation equipment is lost or damaged by an insured event and is unable to supply power.

This covers the purchase and installation of environmental improvements like a rainwater tank, solar system or compost equipment. This only applies if the accepted claim is for damage worth over 80% of your home sum insured, your home doesn't already have the environmental equipment, we've authorised home repairs and you sought our agreement prior to purchasing or installing the relevant equipment.

If a claim is covered for loss or damage to your home, we'll pay the cost to replace trees, shrubs, plants, hedges or garden beds that are damaged by the same insured event, with ones that we consider are reasonably similar. This doesn't include damage to lawns, grass or pot plants and excludes damage caused by a storm, storm surge, flood or escape of liquid.

We’ll pay the reasonable and necessary costs of demolishing and removing the damaged parts of your home in order to repair it. It doesn’t include removal of tree stumps and roots in the ground or debris, like fallen trees, that haven’t damaged your home.

When you are covered for the costs of rebuilding or repairing damaged parts of the home, we will pay the reasonable and necessary costs:
of any temporary work required to make the damaged or destroyed home and insured address safe;
for the services of professionals, such as architects or surveyors, to repair or rebuild at the insured address;
to make the damaged building components comply with current home building regulations and laws. We only pay these costs if the building components complied with home building regulations and laws when they were built or when construction, repairs, renovations or alterations were undertaken.

We don't cover the removal of tree stumps and roots in the ground, removal of trees and branches that haven’t damaged your home, or work on undamaged areas of the home.

If you have contents in a secure commercial storage facility we'll cover them for a maximum of 365 consecutive days for loss or damage by an insured event as long as the facility is lockable, only accessible by you or someone authorised by you, and is fully enclosed by walls (including doors), floor and roof.

If you're permanently moving to a new address in Australia, we'll cover your contents while they're being moved, for loss or damage caused by: fire; flood; collision, overturning, accident or theft of the vehicle carrying them.

For unit owners only. We cover your contents permanently fixed on or to common property of your residential complex on the same basis as if they were at the insured address.

This covers your contents when you temporarily move to live at another Australian residence, for up to 180 days, or when held in a bank deposit box in Australia.

Provides cover for accidental loss or damage to your contents, including portable valuables, anywhere in Australia and New Zealand when temporarily removed for up to 180 days. Includes jewellery and watches you list on your contents policy when being worn or held securely in a safe, for up to 100 days.

Provides cover for loss or damage to contents owned by invited visitors staying at your home for up to 30 consecutive days.

We cover spoilage of refrigerated food, frozen food and refrigerated medicine at your home (no excess applies) caused by:
- the sudden escape of refrigerant fumes
- electrical or electronic breakdown, failure or malfunction
- the public electricity supply failing to reach your home.

If you make a claim under this additional cover, no excess applies.

We’ll pay the fee (no excess applies) charged by your security provider to respond if your monitored alarm is activated by an illegal or attempted break in, or a malicious act or vandalism providing you supply evidence that it triggered the alarm. False alarms, like those triggered by a pet, and unknown triggers are not covered. Also referred to as security attendance fees.

We provide cover if your credit cards or other financial transaction cards are physically stolen from your home and used fraudulently, less any amount covered by your transaction card provider. No excess applies.

We cover the necessary costs of replacing or recoding locks to the external doors or windows of your home or unit if the keys to those locks are stolen anywhere in Australia or New Zealand. No excess applies.

We'll pay the cost of locating the source of the liquid escaping or overflowing at the home and repair and restore the damage caused by our exploratory work.

You're covered for uninstalled building fittings, fixtures and materials like uninstalled kitchen cabinets or taps if they are stored in a locked and secure building at your home.

This covers office equipment kept at your home for business use which is of a clerical nature only, for example a desk or office chair.

This means tools or equipment used for any business activity except for home office equipment.

This includes cash, smart cards, phone cards, documents able to be cashed or traded, vouchers, money orders or stamps (not in a set or collection).

This covers jewellery and watches at your home only. It has a flexible limit which you can choose to increase for an additional cost. To cover jewellery and other items away from home, consider Portable Valuables - see optional covers.

This includes paintings, pictures, works of art, antiques, sculptures, ornaments and art objects. It has a flexible limit which you can choose to increase for an additional cost.

This includes collections, sets and memorabilia, including stamps, stamp collections, collector’s pins, medals and currency no longer in circulation. It has a flexible limit which you can choose to increase for an additional cost.

Covers the cost to repair or replace electric motors, entire sealed units or pool pumps where the motor is equal to or less than 10 years old. More information is available on page 78 of the PDS.

Cover for electric motors in household equipment and appliances that are equal to or less than 10 years old when they burnout or fuse. This includes things like the motor in your freestanding fridge.

Cover for electric motors in household equipment and appliances that are equal to or less than 10 years old when they burnout or fuse. This includes things like the motor in your freestanding fridge.

This covers you if you lose, break or damage something by accident at your home for example by dropping, knocking over or spilling something without intent.

This covers losing, breaking or damaging something by accident at your property, for example by dropping, knocking over or spilling something without intent.

This provides a buffer if the cost of repairing or rebuilding exceeds the amount you insured your home for.

If your claim is covered we will pay up to a further percentage of the home sum insured to:

• repair or replace the home; or
• pay you the amount quoted by a member of our builder supplier network to repair or replace the home.

For example:

- With up to a further 25% Safety Net, if your sum insured is $400,000 you'll be covered for up to an additional $100,000.

- With up to a further 30% Safety Net, if your sum insured is $400,000 you'll be covered for up to an additional $120,000.

Provides cover for items normally carried with you away from home like your mobile phone, jewellery, camera, tablet or laptop. It also includes sports equipment when not in use except for your bicycle which is covered when in use providing you aren't pace-making or racing.

Provides up to $2,000 for necessary vet treatment if your pet dog or cat is injured in an accident anywhere in Australia. It doesn't include illness or pre-existing conditions but does cover things like tick bites and tick poisoning.

This optional cover is only available for ACT and WA residents only. This covers your legal liability to pay workers compensation to your domestic employee, i.e. a gardener or cleaner working in your home, if your employee is injured while working for you during the period of insurance. The terms and extent of cover are those set out in the relevant workers compensation laws of the state or territory of your home.  Available with Home only or Home and Contents cover.

Whether it’s a shower screen, window, fixed mirror or skylight, broken glass be expensive and time consuming to sort out. This optional cover can help take care of it quickly, without you having to pay an excess. Available with Home Insurance.

GIO Home Assist can offer you help from a plumber, electrician, locksmith or carpenter in the event of a home emergency. So if you’ve had GIO Home Assist added on your policy for 24 hours or more and you come home to something unexpected like a burst pipe or blown fuse, we can help get it sorted ASAP. Available with Home Insurance.