Does your home insurance cover public liability?

If a visitor falls and injures themselves on your property, you could be legally liable for their medical costs, plus any damages. But if you have home insurance, the cost of your public liability at home could be covered.

Public liability can cover your legal liability if someone who doesn't live with you is injured or dies at your property, and you’re not at fault. It covers things like medical costs and legal claims made against you. 

What’s covered by public liability at your home

Your home and contents insurance can cover your property and belongings, as well as the people at your home, thanks to public liability included with your cover. GIO Home & Contents Insurance can cover your legal liability for up to $20 million. For example, if a friend’s child smashed into a glass window at home and needed to be taken to hospital, you could be covered for their medical and legal costs for which you’re liable. For landlords, this can also apply to your rental property if you take out Landlord Insurance.

Common claim types include:

• People colliding with things and needing stitches, like doors and entryways
• Injuries caused by dog bites, and
• people slipping over and injuring themselves, like with a fractured finger or broken bone.

Public liability with your contents insurance

Public liability with your contents insurance can cover your liability for incidents that occur outside the home. For example, if your toddler runs into a display shelf at the supermarket and causes damage to stock, rendering it unsellable, public liability cover can cover the cost to replace the goods plus other costs for which you may be liable.

What isn’t covered by public liability at your home

What is and isn’t covered depends on the insurer. There are some events that GIO Home & Contents Insurance won’t cover:

• Renovations. For example, if a tradie is injured while working on your home (however, they may be covered by their public liability business insurance).
• Incidents using or towing a caravan, trailers and mobile home.
• Illness or disease. For example, if someone gets salmonella at your home and needs to be hospitalised.

For more information on what is and isn’t covered, read GIO’s Home and Contents Insurance PDS.

GIO policies with public liability included

GIO provides legal liability cover with all our home insurance policies. That includes:

• Home and Contents Insurance
• Building Insurance
• Contents Insurance
• Strata Insurance, and
• Landlord Insurance

If you need home insurance, GIO has different covers to suit your needs, lifestyle and budget.

Explore GIO Home Insurance

Read more:

• How much should you be paying for your home insurance?
• What are the most common home safety hazards?
• 4 ways to reduce your home insurance premium

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance. The Target Market Determination is also available. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.