Home and Contents Insurance
Rest easy knowing you’re covered by Victoria’s market leader for home insurance.
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RACV Home Buildings and Contents Insurance covers both your home and its contents when they’ve been damaged as a result of an insured event, such as fire, theft or storm. It can also cover the cost to repair:
- Unintentional fire damage regardless of where it occurs – including fireplaces.
- Water damage caused by a faulty washing machine or dishwasher.
- Impact damage from a vehicle accidentally reversing into your garage door.
Key benefits include:
- Comprehensive fire and flood damage.
- Temporary accommodation for you and your pets.
- Theft, even when you forget to lock your door.
What does building and contents insurance cover?
Summary of Cover
Summary of Cover
This table is a summary only. Refer to the Product Disclosure Statement for a full list of conditions, limits and exclusions.
New to buying insurance? Here’s the basics. Once you choose the cover you need – buildings, contents or combined buildings and contents – you'll need to:
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Calculate the sum insured
The sum insured is the maximum amount allocated to repair your home or replace your contents following an insured event. You can estimate these values using our calculators below.
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Get a quote
You can get a quote for an RACV Home Insurance policy you’ve decided is right for you online or by calling us on 13 72 28.
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Review your quote
Check all the details to understand your level of cover and the excess you’ve selected.
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Purchase your policy
Once you’re happy with the level of cover, you can finalise your payment online, or by calling us and providing your quote number.
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Home Insurance calculators
We have calculators that can help you estimate the value of your home buildings and contents*. This value is also known as the sum insured.
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Make a claim or manage your policy
You can lodge a claim online by filling out a form, or call us on 13 19 03.
For full details on how you’re covered, read the Home Insurance Product Disclosure Statement.
How much should I insure my home and contents for?
The amount you insure your home and contents for (we call that the ‘sum insured’) should be enough to rebuild your home or replace your contents if you had to do it today.
Remember, when we talk about your home, we don’t just mean the building itself. If you have things like fences, sheds, in-ground pools, or covered car spaces, they count too.
There are a few things to think about:
- If you underinsure your home and contents, you may be caught short if you have to totally rebuild and replace them
- If you insure your home and contents for more than it costs to rebuild and replace them, you’ll only be able to claim the actual cost to do so
- Your building sum insured will be different to the market value of your home, which you might find on a property valuation, because it doesn’t include the land value
- Make sure you include demolition and debris removal costs to rebuild your home.
You can use our buildings calculator and contents calculator as a guide.*
What isn't covered by Combined Home and Contents Insurance?
Your home and contents are covered for a range of events including fire, flood, theft or storm.
However, you’re not covered for:
- pre-existing damage to your building or contents
- wear and tear
- loss or damage that is deliberately caused by members of your household or guests
- damage caused by vermin or insects, including termites
- landslide or sinking, unless it happens as a result of an insured done weather event
- plants, trees and shrubs growing in the ground
- any vehicles kept on your property
- items used for a business or trade.
For full details of what is and isn’t covered, see the Product Disclosure Statement.
Is my mobile phone covered by Home and Contents insurance?
Yes, your phone will be covered for all listed events at home, if you include its value in your general contents.
You can also add accidental damage cover, to protect you for things like dropping your phone and cracking your screen when you’re at home.
If you want your phone to be covered if it’s damaged, lost or stolen while you’re away from home, you can add it to your policy as a portable item.
You can also add other types of portable technology like laptops, tablets and smart watches.
What are the different types of home insurance?
Buildings Insurance
This policy covers the buildings and structures on your property. That means that everything from fences and sheds to solar panels and garages are covered.
Contents Insurance
This policy covers the things you keep inside your home, including things like:
- furniture and appliances
- clothing and linen
- carpets and rugs.
You can also add optional cover for portable and valuable items.
Combined Building and Contents Insurance
Get the best of both worlds with a combined policy – you’ll be covered for both the structures on your property and your belongings.
Landlord Insurance
Choose between three options – contents cover, buildings cover or combined. Either way, you’ll be covered for damage by tenants, rent default and up to 12 months loss of rent.
Renters Insurance
You can get cover for the things you keep in your rental property – it’s just like Contents Insurance, but for tenants.
What does accidental damage cover?
If you choose to add accidental damage to your Combined Building and Contents policy, you’ll be covered for any unintentional damage to your home or belongings.
So if you knock over your TV, put your foot through the ceiling while you’re in the roof, spill some red wine on a white carpet or a rogue tennis ball breaks your window, RACV Insurance will help you sort it.
Keep in mind that a $300 excess will apply for accidental damage claims.
Can I choose my repairer for my home repairs?
Yes, you can. You’ll be paid the fair and reasonable amount that the repairs should cost, but you’ll need to manage and arrange the repairs yourself.
Plus, if anything goes wrong (like faulty workmanship), it won’t be covered by your policy. Any repairs organised by RACV Insurance will have a lifetime guarantee.
What's the difference between general and valuable contents?
General contents
These are items that are kept in or around your home but aren’t permanently fixed to the house. Think furniture, carpets, electronics and clothes.
Valuable contents
You’re automatically covered for up to $2500 in each of these categories:
- Art
- Music, games and movies
- Collections
- Jewellery and watches.
If you want to insure items in these categories for more than this, you can list them as valuable contents.
What are the different types of portable contents?
When you take out Combined Building and Contents Insurance, we’ll ask you to tell us the value of your portable contents across different categories.
We’ll only ask for a description if your item is worth more than $10,000.
The categories include:
- electronics (including mobile phones, wearable technology, tablets or laptops)
- jewellery and watches
- glasses, sunglasses and hearing aids
- wheelchairs, scooters and prosthetic limbs
- camping, sporting and recreation equipment (including musical instruments)
- clothing and luggage (including handbags and wallets).
If you list these items on your policy, they will be covered anywhere in Australia and New Zealand.
Will my contents be covered if I put them in storage?
Some of your general contents can be covered if they’re in storage in Australia.
Before you move them into storage, you need to tell RACV Insurance:
- the value of the items
- where you’ll store them (to make sure it meets our criteria).
To see what can be covered in storage, check the Product Disclosure Statement.
Call 13 72 28 to chat to the team.
How will my contents claim be settled?
It depends on the item.
Where possible, your items could be repaired or restored.
Some items like fridges, washing machines and electrical appliances can be replaced by a specialist supplier.
Other ways your claim can be settled are by giving you a store credit or a cash payout.
You can make a claim online or by calling 13 19 03.
To check the cover on your policy, call us on 13 72 28.
1 The Multi-Policy Discount and Years of Membership Benefits exclude Travel, Business and Farm Insurance products. To qualify for the Multi-Policy Discount, you must hold two eligible RACV Insurance policies. For further details, see the Premium, Excess and Discounts guide at racv.com.au. Discounts will only be applied until any applicable minimum premium is reached. On renewal, any increases or decreases in your premium may be limited by factors such as your previous year’s premium. You may not save more with more eligible policies and by staying with RACV Insurance longer if a minimum premium is reached, or limits have been applied to increases or decreases in your premium.
* The RACV Home Buildings and Home Contents Calculators provide an indication of rebuilding or replacement costs only and in no way guarantees the amount RACV Insurance may agree to insure your home or contents for. It is your responsibility to check that this amount is enough to cover the rebuilding costs of your home or replacement costs of your home’s contents at today’s prices. Before you decide whether to buy or continue to hold RACV Home Insurance, you should calculate the actual replacement value of your home and contents and consider the information in the Product Disclosure Statement.
The information provided is general advice only. Before making any decisions please consider your own circumstances and the Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determinations. For copies, visit racv.com.au. As distributor, RACV Insurance Services Pty Ltd AFS Licence No. 230039 receives commission for each policy sold or renewed. Insurance product(s) issued by Insurance Manufacturers of Australia Pty Ltd ABN 93 004 208 084 AFS Licence No. 227678.
Read the Product Disclosure Statement for a full list and description of items covered in building, contents and combined policies. The Premium, Excess and Discounts guide (PED) provides further details on how we calculate your premium, excess levels and discounts.