Weirdest things your home insurance will (and won’t) cover

Weird cloud house collage in a field
Image Credit: Philipp Igumnov on Getty.

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!

Meteor, rock, and satellite on green

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 :(

Diamond, gold ingot, credit card, and cinema tickets on red

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!

Speedboat and drone on green

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 :(

Guests and hosts shake hands while someone sneaks in the background, on red.

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!

A row of gamers on control switches on green

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 :(

A cartoon cringing pair of eyes, on red.

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!

Collage of waterbed leaking on green

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 :(

A renter shakes hands with their landlord on red

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! 

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Last updated 13 December 2024Important disclosures
Important information on terms, conditions and sub-limits.
  • Home Cover - Buildings & Contents

    Main events covered
    • fire
      Fire
    • theft
      Theft
    • storm
      Storm
    • flood
      Flood
    Monthly payments
    cost extra
    Calendar icon
    Yes
    Underinsurance protection
    Underinsurance protection icon
    Optional ExtraUp To 30% Of Buildings Sum Insured, Applied Automatically For Eligible Policies
    New for old
    replacement
    Replacement icon
    Yes
    Details
  • Home & Contents Insurance

    Main events covered
    • fire
      Fire
    • theft
      Theft
    • storm
      Storm
    • flood
      Flood
    Monthly payments
    cost extra
    Calendar icon
    No
    Underinsurance protection
    Underinsurance protection icon
    No
    New for old
    replacement
    Replacement icon
    Yes
    Details
  • Home & Contents Insurance

    Main events covered
    • fire
      Fire
    • theft
      Theft
    • storm
      Storm
    • flood
      Flood
      Optional Extra
    Monthly payments
    cost extra
    Calendar icon
    Yes
    Underinsurance protection
    Underinsurance protection icon
    Optional ExtraUp To 25% Of Building Sum Insured
    New for old
    replacement
    Replacement icon
    Yes
    Details
  • Home & Contents Insurance

    Main events covered
    • fire
      Fire
    • theft
      Theft
    • storm
      Storm
    • flood
      Flood
    Monthly payments
    cost extra
    Calendar icon
    Yes
    Underinsurance protection
    Underinsurance protection icon
    No
    New for old
    replacement
    Replacement icon
    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.

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