Making an insurance claim

tahn · Jan 12, 2007 6:50 pm

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to be asking this question, but so far I have found you guys very helpful so I figured I would give it a try anyway.

My boyfriend and I purchased our first home two months ago, and we recently returned from holidays to find our front fence has been almost completely destroyed by vandals. It was a rather old post and rail fence, with quite brittle wood which would have broken easily.

We are currently considering our next option, which may include making an insurance claim.

Having never made an insurance claim on a home, and not knowing many people who have had to either, I was hoping someone could explain to me the process of making a claim in human (not insurance company!) language.

A few friends have suggested that perhaps it wouldnt be worth our while, as we may lose our no claim bonus and the insurance company may not pay out much, so at this stage we are unsure what to do.

We are currently insured with NRMA, is that helps anyone.

Any information you can provide about the process would be much appreciated.

Regards,
Tahn

snappy · Jan 12, 2007 8:53 pm

You will have an excess charge on your insurance say $400. So this means how ever much the job costs the insurance will pay the extra cost above that $400 and you are expected to pay that $400.

If it is only a small fence or the cost isn't that much more than your excess it isn't worth it losing your no claims bonus.

That said some insurance comapnies allow you to insure your no claims bonus so you don't loose it.

It really depends on serval factors. ie your type of insurance cover and the over all cost of replcement or repair on the fence.

Don't be shy to speak to your insurance company to ask for advice.

Sasha