Insurance and moving house

If you have a home, contents, or combined home and contents policy, you’ll need to let your insurance company know about your move so they can update your policy. There may be a requirement to do this within a specified time period.  

Will my contents be covered while I move?

This will depend on the type of cover you have, for example, a Home Buildings policy won’t include contents cover. If your current policy covers ‘Contents in transit’, the items you have insured under that policy may be covered for loss and damage if the loss or damage was caused by a covered event such as fire, theft following a violent or forced entry, storm or collision (for example, if the vehicle transporting your contents is involved in a crash). 

Will my contents be covered in both homes while I move?

If you’re with NRMA Insurance, then yes! If you have a combined home and contents policy, or a standalone contents policy, with NRMA Insurance, your contents can be covered in both your current home and new home for 14 days from the day you start moving. 

Is there anything else I should do to prepare?

Moving home is the perfect opportunity to check your current level of cover and make sure you’re adequately protected from financial loss or damage due to unforeseen events. You can do this by estimating the value of your property and contents and reviewing your sum insured. (The sum insured is the maximum amount your insurance company will pay you to help rebuild or replace your house and/or contents if an insured event occurs). 

Is there a chance that my policy won’t be able to continue at my new address?

There are some circumstances where an insurer may not agree to cover the new address. For example, if there is an embargo period. An embargo period refers to a pause on new policies due to an address being located in an area that is currently impacted (or is highly likely to be impacted) by an extreme weather event, such as a flood, fire or cyclone.

If you’ve never had home insurance before, you might like to explore the different types of cover options available to help protect your home and the things you keep inside it. Insurance exists to help cover the cost to repair or replace insured items in the event they’re damaged, lost or destroyed by a covered event. 

Here are the three main types of cover options available for homeowners: 

Buildings Insurance

Cover for the structure of your home and its permanent fixtures (like cupboards and vanity units). Garages, carports, sheds, fences and pools on your property may also be covered by this type of policy.  

Contents Insurance

Cover for the personal belongings you keep inside your home. This can include items like furniture, carpets, clothing, jewellery, appliances, TVs, rugs and more. 

Buildings and Contents Insurance

A combination of cover for your home’s structure, its permanent fixtures, and the personal belongings you keep in the home.  

Once you’ve decided on the type of insurance cover you want, you’ll be able to arrange a quote and choose what day you need your cover to start. This can be done as late as the day before your move.