Can home insurance help with repairs?

There’s nothing worse than being left exposed — both literally and financially — when damage occurs at home. Home insurance can help cover the cost of repairs for damage at home, but they will usually incur an excess. The claiming process can also mean that help isn’t available right away.

With GIO Home Assist* – available as an optional cover with GIO Home Building Insurance – you can get prompt access to a plumber, electrician, locksmith or carpenter for those unwanted home emergencies.

What are some home emergencies you can get help with?

An ‘emergency’, for the purposes of GIO Home Assist claims, is a sudden and unforeseen incident requiring the urgent attention of a plumber, electrician, locksmith or carpenter.

Some examples might include:

• getting locked out of the house
• a blackout or power failure
• a burst tap or showerhead in the bathroom
• a damaged roof or guttering causing an internal leak
• burst pipes in the middle of the night
• blocked toilets, drain or pipes
• broken or burst hot water system
• a dangerous gas leak in your home
• broken doors or windows that compromise your security, and
• broken or damaged heating and cooling systems.

It’s no secret that you can put you or your family at risk trying to fix things yourself. Sometimes it’s just easier to get the assistance of a licenced professional and get back to your daily life.

What are the benefits of GIO Home Assist?

• No excess payable. You can request a call-out without worrying about an excess.
• 3 emergency callouts (during the policy period). Hopefully you won’t need three, but you’ll have them up your sleeve!
• Repair materials covered up to $50. This helps when it comes to broken tiles, power points, O-rings for your tap or any other bits used to fix your home emergency.
• Up to 2 hours emergency assistance per call-out. Ensures any repairs aren’t rushed and proper care is taken to find you a solution.
• Trusted list of tradespersons. We’ve spent many years building a list of qualified tradespeople all over Australia that is constantly updated.

Get a Home Insurance quote with GIO

How does GIO Home Assist work for emergencies?

Call 13 14 46, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a home emergency. GIO Home Assist is only available 24 hours after adding the option to a new or existing policy.

What happens once you call and ask for assistance?

A support team expert will talk to you directly to assess the emergency over the phone and assistance can be provided as quick as possible. If your repairs can’t be completed within the call-out period (about 2 hours), you will be informed of the potential options for completing the repairs.

For full details of what is and isn’t covered, please refer to the GIO Home and Contents PDS and GIO Home Assist Terms and Conditions.

Read more:

• How do I compare home and contents insurance?
• Tips on getting the most from your home and contents insurance
• Choosing the right optional covers for your home insurance

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance. Target Market Determination is also available.

The information is intended to be of general nature only. Subject to any rights you may have under any law (including the Australian Consumer Law), we do not accept any legal responsibility for any loss or damage, including loss of business or profits or any other indirect loss, incurred as a result of reliance upon the information. Please make your own enquiries.