Autumn insurance reviews, of course!

Autumn is the time of year where leaves fall off the trees in glorious shades of yellow and orange. It’s the time where everyone has settled back into the daily routines after the chaos of summer holidays. We start eating comfort food and relish time indoors, and get confused as to what to wear with the ever changing weather.

It’s also the time where these falling leaves fill your gutters and the daily grid can leave you on autopilot and maybe you forget to turn the stove off. This is why autumn is also a great time to review your insurance: so you can be sure that during winter, when most house fires occur, you are properly insured.

So pull out your papers from that bottom drawer in the office and firstly ensure you have everything covered; the house, the cars, your ‘stuff’, the pets… you would be surprised as to how much you have! Walk around your home, taking note of the more expensive things you own; the tv, the lounge suite, that premium latex mattress. These quickly add up, let alone the cost in phones, laptops and tablets that you and the kids use every day.

Insurance review checklist

To help you make sure you get the best outcome, you can:

• Read through your insurance papers, paying close attention to the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS.)
• Pay a visit to your insurance broker and ask all your questions in person, of course we can do this over the phone too.
• Complete a contents replacement ready reckoner. This is a handy document that allows you to add up the replacement costs of everything you own rather than assuming (tip: in our experience, people tend to DRASTICALLY underestimate the cost to replace your contents). Ask us for an electronic copy.

Be prepared for house fire season

We find house fires amongst the most heart wrenching of claims – even the thought of a family being displaced, losing their belongings and memories or worse leaves us with our heart in our throats. Please prepare for the event of a fire! Keep fire blankets and fire extinguishers on hand, test those smoke alarms and don’t just talk about it but actually practice your fire escape plan.

With over 1,000 house fires each year (most of them occurring in winter) it really pays to spend the time needed to review your risk management and insurance. And remember, having the right insurance is no accident.

PS. A brick home does burn!