Insurable events can occur without notice and may often be unavoidable, especially when it comes to severe weather events. However, being well-prepared and organised when submitting your claim may help you get things back on track.
You, your strata manager, or the PICA Group claims department can lodge a claim immediately over the phone if an event is considered life-threatening, a health and safety concern or significant damage requires an assessor to attend to your property urgently.
Don’t forget that safety is paramount. If you need to conduct emergency repairs before filing a claim, please keep the following in mind:
Damage caused by the insurable event should be photographed before any repairs are undertaken.
Make-safe repairs must be photographed, and work undertaken as required.
The invoice for the job should provide details of what repairs were undertaken, what caused the damage and why urgent work was needed.
Further loss should be prevented by undertaking reasonable steps, including the following if necessary:
Make sure you have the following information on hand when submitting your claim so that it can be processed as smoothly as possible:
The exact date the event occurred or when the damage was noticed.
A clear description of what occurred. E.g. a burst pipe, a car drove into the garage wall.
Relevant third-party details, including names, phone numbers, car registration details, etc.
A police report, if the claim is for vandalism or theft.
A high-resolution, full-colour photograph detailing the extent of the damage.
You can only claim special benefits for lost rental income or relocation expenses with temporary accommodation if an active claim is due to damages from an insurable event that has made the property inhabitable.
If a unit is owner-occupied, the owner’s relocation costs are generally claimable through your insurer. The owner pays these costs and negotiates with the insurer for reimbursement. For the insurer to accept costs, the temporary accommodation should be similar to the owner’s property, e.g., the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
Strata insurance policies, however, do not cover costs relating to the relocation of tenants or their belongings. To claim a loss in rental income, a signed lease must be in place. If a renter needs to relocate and stop current payments to the affected residency, they must provide a written confirmation with the reason they are relocating from the property. The lot owner can then use this document to lodge a claim for loss of rent.
The insurance held by the owners corporation or body corporate does not cover personal property. This includes any belongings from lot owners, tenants or visitors. For protection against damage to personal items, you should have separate contents insurance.
Some items that are not covered in strata insurance claims include:
Importantly, carpets within a lot are considered a lot owner’s contents in the context of insurance. Under the building damage section of the owners corporation or body corporate policy, your insurer will decline to cover any carpet damage within a lot.
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This article is edited by Lauren Shaw Regional General Manager and Licensee-in-Charge on May 2025.
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