Accidental damage or loss cover is an optional extra you can add to your home and contents policy, typically for an additional premium. There may be some home and contents cover which includes accidental damage in the standard price.
This add-on provides financial protection for losses or accidental damage to your home and contents such as:
Nobody means to break the fine china, scratch the walls or leave belongings behind. However, no matter how careful we are, accidents can still happen.
Make sure you check the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for details of what is and isn’t covered under your specific policy.
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Accidental damage is typically defined as loss of value or damage caused by an unforeseen, unintended event and not from a deliberate act. Here are a few examples of accidental damage in real life:
There will be some exclusions, and not all items or events may be covered. Compare a range of home and contents policies with our free tool to see what is and isn’t covered. You can find this information by viewing these policies’ Product Disclosure Statements (PDS).
Not all of us are fortunate enough to have savings on hand to cover life’s little mishaps, so insuring yourself against loss and damage is your security blanket. Using a tool like our free home and contents insurance comparison service can help simplify the process of getting covered.
If you’re considering adding this optional extra to your home and contents insurance policy, it’s important to check your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to see exactly what’s covered as inclusions and exclusions often differ between policies and providers.
When comparing results on our free home and contents comparison service, you’ll be able to see what’s covered under available policies.
The table below provides a snapshot of events and damage that may be included and excluded if you have an accidental damage cover add-on, based on the policies we compare[1].Your particular cover will vary based on your insurer and the terms of your policy. Note that a combined home and contents insurance policy with accidental damage cover will generally cover both your building and your contents as set out below.
| Event | Building insurance with accidental damage cover add-on | Contents insurance with accidental damage cover add-on |
| Accidental damage to the walls and fixtures | Yes | No |
| Accidental damage to furniture, rugs and carpet | Yes – specifically carpets, curtains and fixtures | Yes – removable items like furniture and rugs |
| Broken glass, ceramics and crystal | Yes – may include windows, basins and glass cooktops | Yes – may include ornaments, lamps, crystalware and screens on some electronic devices |
| Sports equipment | No | No – these can be covered by personal effects cover |
| Damage to swimming pools | No | No |
| Accidental damage to the building or contents caused by household pets | Yes | Yes |
| Damage from animals other than your pets | No | No |
| Damaged caused by removalists or renovations | No | No |
| [1] Information accurate as of 19/3/20, based on home and contents insurance from Budget Direct, ING, Virgin Money, Australia Post, Huddle and Woolworths, available through our comparison service. | ||
There are some exclusions to what items and possessions are covered. Common exclusions can include electronic devices like computers, mobile phones and media systems, remote control toys or models, and sports equipment if the damaged is sustained while in use. Our free home and contents insurance comparison service provides the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) of available policies, making it easy to see what exactly is covered under a specific accidental damage cover policy.
Mishaps can happen at home, and when they do, it’s a relief to know you have the right insurance, which is why it’s important to consider accidental damage cover. It’s the same story when driving your car too. If you want to review car insurance, you can compare policies for free through us.
Adding accidental damage insurance to your home and contents policy will increase your premiums. Overall, the cost of your insurance will depend on a variety of factors, such as the value of your belongings and the building, your address, whether your area is prone to natural disasters, and more.
For an idea of how much you might pay for your policy, you can compare prices from different insurers in just minutes with our free home and contents insurance comparison tool.
Under a regular home and contents policy, you might not be automatically covered for belongings you take with you outside, such as jewellery, a handbag or a laptop. Cover for items you take out of the home is known as personal effects cover.
When using our free home and contents insurance comparison service, be sure to see if accidental damage and personal effects are listed when comparing results.
