Accidental damage at home: What you need to know
What is accidental damage?
Accidental damage means damage caused by sudden, unforeseen and unintended events. For example, while you’re moving a bookcase, it falls and knocks a hole in the wall. Or you’re pouring a drink, but oops, it spills on the couch.
It’s not the same as wear and tear, which is just the normal aging of your property. It differs from damaging something on purpose, intentional damage, too. Insurance doesn’t cover wear and tear or intentional damage.
Understanding your cover and how to prevent damage
Wondering how Accidental Damage cover works? Allianz Home and Contents Insurance or Renter Insurance covers insured events like fires,1 theft, storms,1 and floods.1 To cover mishaps at home, you may be able to add optional Accidental Damage to your policy for an extra cost.
Does Accidental Damage cover my TV?
If you’ve added Accidental Damage cover to your Home Contents or Renter Contents Insurance, it might cover your TV. For example, if the kids smash the TV screen by accident while playing catch, your policy might cover the costs.
How to keep TVs and other electronics safe
- Be mindful of placement: use wall mounts for TVs, where possible. Make sure TV units and shelves are secure and place items away from the edges.
- Childproof and pet proof: secure cords and cables out of reach. Keep small items and breakables away from tiny fingers or paws.
My pets have scratched my furniture, is that accidental damage?
It’s not if pets or domestic animals kept at your insured address cause the damage.2 To minimise damage, give pets other things to chew and scratch at home. Get scratching posts to help keep cats purring and treat dogs to chew toys.
How to prevent furniture damage
- Cover up: use washable covers or throws or stain-resistant fabrics. To minimise pet damage to furniture, trim those claws.
- Coast along: to prevent marks from spills, use coasters on porous surfaces like wooden tables.
Is my carpet covered by Accidental Damage?
If you've added optional Accidental Damage cover to your Home Building or Contents Insurance, your carpet may be covered. For example, if you spill red wine on your carpet, your insurance may help with the costs to clean or replace it.
Safeguarding your flooring and carpets
- Prevent slips and falls: use mats at entryways to catch dirt, moisture, and debris. In high-traffic zones use rugs, and waterproof mats to mop up splash zones near sinks and tubs. Clean up spills straight away.
- Use carpet protectors: carpet protectors or stain-resistant treatments can help prevent stains. Professional carpet cleaning is also a good option.
I knocked a hole in the wall by accident, is this covered?
When you’ve added optional Accidental Damage coverage to your Home Building Insurance, this type of mishap is often covered. For example, while struggling to hang a heavy picture frame, you might gouge a hole in the wall by accident. In this case, your insurance may help with the costs to fix the damage in line with your policy.
Preventing damage to your walls and ceilings
- Get help: make sure someone can help you with heavy objects. Take care when moving items. Don’t rush things, as this may lead to accidents.
- Be careful with ladders: make sure your ladder is stable. Also, make sure you have a clear view and control over the item you’re moving.
Is damage to my oven covered?
If you’ve added optional Accidental Damage to your Home Building Insurance, it might cover fixed appliances like ovens. Imagine you’re taking a casserole dish out of the oven, but it slips and breaks the oven door. Your insurance might help pay for fixing or replacing the oven.
How to prevent damage to fixed appliances
- Use surge protectors: electrical spikes can damage your appliances, so have you thought about using surge protectors? To find out more, read our surge protectors article
- Maintain appliances regularly: schedule maintenance checks to make sure they’re working properly. Depending on the appliance, this may include cleaning filters and checking for leaks and wear and tear.
These are just a few examples, but Accidental Damage might not cover all mishaps. To know what’s covered, check your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). This explains how your policy works and lists what is and isn’t covered.
Extra care for special situations
Entertaining at home, renovating, or moving home can be distracting. Tackling DIY can also be a challenge, so it’s a good idea to take extra care.
- Hosting guests safely: secure fragile items or move them to a safer place. Arrange your furniture so guests can move around easily. Use trays and coasters to handle potential spills.
- Renovating or managing DIY: use tools carefully and follow safety instructions. When you need to move furniture, protect floors and walls with drop cloths or cardboard.
- Moving in or out: wrap furniture and valuables to prevent scrapes and dents. Use moving blankets and pads for extra protection. Plan your route to avoid tight corners and obstacles.
Seasonal safety checklist
Prepare for holidays and parties with these top tips.
What to do if accidental damage happens
Two useful steps to take when clumsy moments happen.
- Get damage details: take photos of the damage and get ready to tell your insurer what happened. The more details you can provide, the better.
- Contact your insurer: report the damage and follow their instructions.
At Allianz, our Claims team is here to help 24/7. To claim, the fastest way is to make a claim online. Or you can give us a call on 13 10 13.
Want to add optional Accidental Damage cover to your Allianz Insurance?
With our Home and Contents Insurance and Renter Insurance, you can choose to take out optional Accidental Damage cover. This option gives you even more cover from sudden, unforeseen, and unintended events. Note that an excess still applies to claims made.
Allianz Prevention
For useful links and handy resources to help you care for your home, check out Allianz Prevention.
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Disclaimer
This article has been prepared by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFSL234708 ("Allianz"). It is a summary of key concepts and not meant to represent the complete picture on any given matter. It is not meant to be legal advice. The information should be read in conjunction with the relevant legislation and regulations. In some cases, information has been provided to us by third parties and while that information is believed to be accurate and reliable, its accuracy is not guaranteed in any way.
Any opinions expressed constitute our views at the time of issue and are subject to change. Neither Allianz, nor its employees or directors give any warranty of accuracy or accept responsibility for any loss or liability incurred by you in respect of any error, omission or misrepresentation in this article.
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*Conditions apply
- 72-hour exclusion period may apply
We may not provide cover for any loss of or damage to your property caused by cyclone, flood, flood water combined with run-off and/or rainwater, grassfires and bushfires during the first 72 hours after you first purchase a policy or increase your cover under an existing policy. Refer to PDS for when exclusion periods apply. - Refer to the PDS for the applicable exclusions.
Any advice here does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. Terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions apply. Before making a decision about this insurance, consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)/Policy Wording and Supplementary PDS (if applicable). Where applicable, the PDS/Policy Wording, Supplementary PDS and Target Market Determination (TMD) for this insurance are available on this website. We do not provide any form of advice if you call us to enquire about or purchase a product.
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