Weirdest things your home insurance will (and won’t) cover
In any home and contents insurance policy, the terms and conditions will be littered with strange, delightful, and surprising little easter eggs. Like, what do you mean satellite crashes are covered? Why?!
So for the sheer (educational) joy of reading, here are some of the weirdest things your home insurance will and won’t cover*.
*Probably. Always read the product disclosure statement (PDS) first to get the full and specific story of your coverage.
Falling satellites and space debris – covered!
Yep! If a satellite, meteor, or part of a rocketship strikes your home, it’s usually covered. But this benefit gets weirder: if the debris hits any underground parts of your house, like pipes or a garage, it’s suddenly not covered.
Uncut or loose gems – not covered :(
If you have loose rubies or diamonds scattered around your place like Scrooge McDuck, then unfortunately, these precious rocks aren’t covered under home insurance.
This exclusion also applies to loose credit and debit cards, raw gold, ingots, bullion, Krugerrands, lottery tickets, registered securities, and coupons. Even your Beyoncé concert tickets won’t be covered!
Cash, however, may be covered up to certain limits.
Speedboat and drone crash – covered!
Similarly with satellites, if a rogue drone or runaway speedboat suddenly crashes into your property, it’s probably covered under home insurance. Big caveat, though: if you own either, it’s not covered.
Maybe play with that Christmas drone in a park, not your backyard?
Guests who steal your stuff – not covered :(
Turns out vampire rules apply when it comes to guests, theft, and home insurance: if you invited them in, or if someone in your house invited them in, then home insurance won’t compensate you if they steal or damage your stuff.
It’s about consent more than anything. By letting someone into your home, you accept the risk of their behaviour. Since providers can’t vet every single person who enters your home with a background check, it’s an awful lot of risk for them to take on board for your Sunday dinner party.
Video game software – covered!
Provided you downloaded it legally, your video game software and other computer programs may be compensated under your home insurance policy, provided they were damaged in an insurable event like theft, fire, or flooding. Score!
Sewage in your septic – not covered :(
While septic tanks are covered, their…um, contents aren’t. We shudder to imagine why this rule needs to be spelled out in the PDS, but to our sheer delight, it is.
This exclusion also goes for other types of fixed water tanks, like rainwater catchments or fish bowls: the container is covered, but the contents aren’t.
On the bright side, you may be able to insure your fish with an exotic pet insurance policy.
Leaks from a waterbed – covered!
If you’re still grooving like it’s 1985, good news! Your burst waterbed could be covered by your contents insurance policy.
Escape of water is a common insurance benefit, whether it’s ruptured Flexi hoses beneath your sink, leaky fridges, or burst pipes. You’ll need to prove the leak was spontaneous and accidental, not caused by poor maintenance on your part.
So alas, if your waterbed is literally from 1985, good luck claiming it on your home insurance. But if for some reason it's from 2023, you may stand a chance!
Your weekly rent – not covered :(
Considering it would be the greatest and chiefest of all money hacks otherwise, home insurance providers have specified that no, you can’t claim your weekly rent on your policy.
The one exception would be if you’ve had to evacuate your home due to a natural disaster and need emergency temporary accommodation. Comprehensive home insurance policies may reimburse your costs up to certain sub-limits, such as within a certain time frame or to specific amounts.
Also: if you rent out your spare room, any contents owned by your tenant won’t be covered under your home insurance policy. (And if the provider discovers you’ve rented out parts of your property without notifying them, it may void your coverage). See landlord insurance instead.
BONUS! Weird exclusions for home insurance
For giggles and raised brows, here are some additional household items your home insurance most likely won’t cover.
- Greenhouses
- Artificial grass
- Piles of unused building materials
- Retaining walls
- Livestock stables
But hey, at least CD collections, lawn bowls, and backyard playground equipment usually are!
Compare home and contents insurance policies below. For the best home insurance policies, head to our awards hub.
Compare home and contents insurance policies
Home Cover - Buildings & Contents
- Main events covered
- Fire
- Theft
- Storm
- Flood
- Monthly payments
cost extra - Yes
- Underinsurance protection
- Optional ExtraUp To 30% Of Buildings Sum Insured, Applied Automatically For Eligible Policies
- New for old
replacement - Yes
- General contents
- Yes
- Cash
- Up to $800
- Cd dvd and electronic files
- Up to $1,000 for electronic files and software
- Computer software hardware
- Yes - hardware. Up to $1,000 for software.
- Camera and accessories
- Yes
- Carpets
- Yes
- Antiques and valuables
- Up to $20,000 per item, set or pair of artworks or antiques. Up to $5,000 per collection.
- Jewellery
- Up to $2,500 per item, set or pair
- Replacement of documents
- Up to $800
- Tools of trade
- Up to $5,000
- Contents while moving
- Yes
- Lock replacement
- Up to $2,500
- Temporary accommodation
- Up to 24 months, up to 20% of buildings sum insured combined with temporary accommodation for pets
- Debris removal
- Yes, combined with building costs
- Demolition cost
- Yes, combined with building costs
- Accidental loss and damage
- Optional Extra
- Accidental breakage of glass
- Yes
- Lightning
- Yes
- Earthquake
- Yes
- Storm surge
- Yes
- Buildings and structural improvements
- Yes
- Building materials
- Up to $2,000
- Landscaping
- No
- Gates and fences
- Yes
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read reviews and learn more about QBE home insurances
Home & Contents Insurance
- Main events covered
- Fire
- Theft
- Storm
- Flood
- Monthly payments
cost extra - No
- Underinsurance protection
- No
- New for old
replacement - Yes
- General contents
- Yes
- Cash
- Up to $300
- Cd dvd and electronic files
- Up to $5,000
- Computer software hardware
- Hardware yes, software up to $5,000 combined with CDs/DVDs
- Camera and accessories
- Up to $2,000
- Carpets
- Yes - limits apply for carpets over 10 years old
- Antiques and valuables
- Up to $2,000 per item, up to $12,000 in total
- Jewellery
- Up to $2,000 per item, up to $6,000 in total
- Replacement of documents
- Up to $1,000
- Tools of trade
- Up to $2,000
- Contents while moving
- Yes
- Lock replacement
- Up to $1,000
- Temporary accommodation
- Up to 12 months, up to 10% of sum insured
- Debris removal
- Up to 20% of sum insured combined with demolition cost
- Demolition cost
- Up to 20% of sum insured combined with debris removal cost
- Accidental loss and damage
- Optional Extra
- Accidental breakage of glass
- Yes
- Lightning
- Yes
- Earthquake
- Yes
- Storm surge
- Yes
- Buildings and structural improvements
- Yes
- Building materials
- No
- Landscaping
- Up to $1,000 for plants
- Gates and fences
- Yes - Up to 50% of the total cost, up to 2km
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read reviews and learn more about honey home insurances
Home & Contents Insurance
- Main events covered
- Fire
- Theft
- Storm
- FloodOptional Extra
- Monthly payments
cost extra - Yes
- Underinsurance protection
- Optional ExtraUp To 25% Of Building Sum Insured
- New for old
replacement - Yes
- General contents
- Yes
- Cash
- Up to $800 in total
- Cd dvd and electronic files
- Up to $3,000 combined with computer software
- Computer software hardware
- Hardware yes, software up to $3,000 combined with CDs/DVDs
- Camera and accessories
- Yes
- Carpets
- Yes
- Antiques and valuables
- Up to $5,000 per item for artwork, up to $12,000 in total, up to $2,000 for collections
- Jewellery
- Up to $1,000 per item or set, up to $5,000 in total
- Replacement of documents
- No
- Tools of trade
- Up to $2,000
- Contents while moving
- Up to 20% of sum insured
- Lock replacement
- Up to $1,000
- Temporary accommodation
- Up to 10% of sum insured, up to 12 months. Combined with temporary accommodation for pets.
- Debris removal
- Up to 10% of sum insured combined with demolition cost and emergency storage
- Demolition cost
- Up to 10% of sum insured combined with debris removal cost and emergency storage
- Accidental loss and damage
- Optional Extra
- Accidental breakage of glass
- Yes
- Lightning
- Yes
- Earthquake
- Yes
- Storm surge
- No
- Buildings and structural improvements
- Yes
- Building materials
- Up to $1,000
- Landscaping
- Yes, garden borders, pathways and paved areas.
- Gates and fences
- Yes
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read reviews and learn more about Budget Direct home insurances
Home & Contents Insurance
- Main events covered
- Fire
- Theft
- Storm
- Flood
- Monthly payments
cost extra - Yes
- Underinsurance protection
- No
- New for old
replacement - Yes
- General contents
- Yes
- Cash
- No
- Cd dvd and electronic files
- Yes, excludes electronic files
- Computer software hardware
- Yes
- Camera and accessories
- Yes
- Carpets
- Yes
- Antiques and valuables
- Yes
- Jewellery
- Optional Extra, select specific replacement value for each item of jewellery where the individual value is more than $15,000
- Replacement of documents
- No
- Tools of trade
- Optional Extra, up to $1,000 per item , up to $5,000 in total
- Contents while moving
- Up to 20% of sum insured
- Lock replacement
- Up to $1,000
- Temporary accommodation
- Up to 12 months, up to 12% of sum insured
- Debris removal
- Up to 20% of sum insured combined with demolition and professional fee costs.
- Demolition cost
- Up to 20% of sum insured combined with debris removal and professional fee costs
- Accidental loss and damage
- Optional Extra
- Accidental breakage of glass
- Yes
- Lightning
- Yes
- Earthquake
- Yes
- Storm surge
- No
- Buildings and structural improvements
- Yes
- Building materials
- Up to $1,000
- Landscaping
- No
- Gates and fences
- Yes
Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
Read reviews and learn more about Youi home insurances
* Terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply to any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. These terms, conditions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits could affect the level of benefits and cover available under any of the insurance products shown on the Mozo website. Please refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and the Target Market Determination on the provider's website for further information before making any decisions about an insurance product.
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