Home and contents insurance claim FAQs
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Can I lodge my claim online?
Yes, absolutely. Lodging your claim online allows you to beat the phone queues and lodge your claim 24/7. If you're in urgent need of our assistance with your situation, please give us a call on 8202 4575.
Claims that can be lodged online, as applicable to your policy, include:
- Home
- Contents
- Accidental damage (Contents optional cover)
- Pet (Contents optional cover)
- Car: Claims involving 1 single or 2 vehicles
Claims that need to be lodged over the phone include:
- Car: Claims involving three or more vehicles
- Caravan and trailer
- Boat
- Motorcycle and scooter
- Veteran, Vintage or Hard to Place vehicles
- Landlord and Short Stay
- Other optional covers
Lodge your claim online or call us on 8202 4575.
Find information about travel insurance claims online or by calling 1300 207 365. -
How does RAA support vulnerable members during the claims process?
We understand our members need extra help and support at different times in their lives.
We are committed to taking extra care with vulnerable members including those who are experiencing age related impairment, disability, physical or mental health conditions, family violence, language and literacy barriers, remote location barriers or financial distress. We also support people of different cultural backgrounds and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people experiencing vulnerability.
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What information do I need to lodge a claim?
To ensure your claim process is quick and easy, ensure you have:
- Your RAA member number and insurance policy number
- Details of the incident (including date and time)
- Details of anyone involved (Name, address and contact details)
- The Police Report number (required for all claims involving theft, burglary, loss of valuables or malicious damage)
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What happens once I lodge my claim?
We’ll assess your claim and may request further information or documents from you. We’ll keep you informed about the progress of your claim along the way.
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What's an excess?
If you make a claim, you may need to pay us an amount towards the claim. The amount you pay us is an excess.
There are different types of excesses which may apply to your claim including basic excess and other additional excesses. These are shown on your Certificate of Insurance documents.
In the case of building repairs, any applicable excess needs to be paid to the repairer before work can commence. In some cases, the excess will be deducted from the amount we pay you under the claim.
For more information on excesses, refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement for your policy.
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What’s involved in the assessment and quote process?
We may appoint someone to assess damage on our behalf, or we may request more information from you.
For damage to your home, we may send someone to assess the damage and supply us with a repair quote. We’ll receive the quote within 14 days, consider the quoted repairs to ensure your home will be repaired to a high standard, then contact you to discuss the next steps as soon as possible.
For contents damage or loss, we’ll request quotes for replacement items from our suppliers. We’ll receive these quotes within 7 days, then contact you to discuss the next steps as soon as possible.
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I have an issue during the repair process. What do I do?
If we’ve selected and directly authorised a repairer to repair to your item or property, we’ll accept responsibility for the quality of work and materials used.
If you wish to make a complaint about your claim and how it’s been handled, including the repairer’s conduct, timeliness, quality of work or the materials they’ve used, please call us on 8202 4575 or email claimsmemberresponse@raa.com.au. Find out more about our complaint process, including your right to take your complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
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Will my item be repaired?
If the cost of repair is higher than the cost of replacement, we may replace your item or offer to pay you cash instead of repairing your item. See your policy’s Product Disclosure Statement for details.
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What happens if an item can’t be replaced with an exact equivalent item?
Sometimes, insured items are no longer available for purchase. In this case we’ll seek our suppliers’ recommendation for an item that is reasonably similar within Australia at the time of replacement.
At our discretion we may offer to pay you cash instead of replacing your item where replacement is available. See your policy’s Product Disclosure Statement for details.
Home and Contents Insurance – claim process
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Lodge your claim
Was your home damaged in an insured event? Have you accidentally lost or damaged an item you own? If you have the relevant type of cover, you can lodge a claim online or by calling us on 8202 4575. Call us immediately if your house is unsafe or requires emergency repairs.
You’ll receive confirmation of your claim via email or SMS and we may contact you for further information (like proof of ownership, valuations or photos of damage).
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Assessment
For damage to your home, we’ll send a builder to assess the damage or appoint a Loss Adjuster to manage multiple trades if required. We’ll get a quote for repairs (which can take about 14 business days) then contact you to discuss next steps.
For lost or damaged contents, we’ll either repair or replace your item or, in certain circumstances, provide you with a cash settlement. We’ll get quotes for replacement items from our suppliers (which can take up to 7 business days) then contact you to discuss next steps.
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Repairs or replacement
Once we’ve authorised the repairs and you’ve paid any applicable excess to the repairer, work can start. If we’re replacing your item, our supplier will notify you when the item is available.
If we cannot repair damage or replace your item, we’ll make a cash settlement (which can take about 5 business days to transfer).
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Keep moving on
Now your authorised repair is complete, in the rare case you’re unhappy with the quality of your repair, you can call us on 8202 4575.
If your item is being replaced, you can contact the supplier to arrange delivery or collection of your new item.
For information about how to make a complaint about your claim or how it’s been handled, read our complaints process.
