Storm surge means a rush of water onshore associated with a low pressure system and caused by strong winds pushing on the ocean’s surface. It does not include actions or movement of the sea. The Loss or damage caused by storm surge must happen at the same time as the other insured damage caused by storm.
What is home insurance?
Home insurance may help with the cost of:
repairing or rebuilding your home after certain insured events like fire, storm, flood or theft
replacing or repairing contents that are lost, stolen or damaged in certain circumstances
covering liability claims in some circumstances if someone is injured or their property is damaged.
Whether you’re a homeowner, a renter or a landlord, GIO has home insurance options for a range of needs.
Explore types of home insurance with GIO
Your home is more than just four walls and a roof. GIO understands that too. We also know that no two homes are the same. That’s why we offer different types of cover, to suit a range of situations and budgets.
Most Popular
Home and Contents
Covers the main structure of your home and the things inside it.
- Repair or rebuild of your home after an insured event (such as flood, storm, fire, bushfire)
- Repair or replacement of contents
- Cover for fire (including bushfire), flood, storm, storm surge and break-ins**
- Guarantee on work we authorise
- New for old replacement of your contents
- $20 million legal liability
Building Insurance
Covers the main structure of your home and permanent attached fixtures.
- Repair or rebuild of your home after an insured event (such as flood, storm, fire, bushfire)
- Cover for fire (including bushfire), flood, storm, storm surge and break-ins**
- Guarantee on work we authorise
- New for old replacement of your contents
- $20 million legal liability
Contents Insurance
Cover for the things inside your home.
- Repair or replacement of contents
- Cover for fire (including bushfire), flood, storm, storm surge and break-ins**
- Guarantee on work we authorise
- New for old replacement of your contents
- $20 million legal liability
Landlord Insurance
Covers an investment property, its contents, or both.
- Loss and damage from events like flood, storm and fire (including bushfire)
- Theft, vandalism and malicious damage by tenants or guests
- Accidental glass breakage, including glass in windows, doors and skylights, as well as fixtures like mirrors (when you have Property cover)
- Up to $20 million legal liability for injury or property damage to third parties
- New for old replacement
Home Assist
Emergency 24/7 home assistance, available as optional cover for Home and Contents and Building Insurance.
- Plumber
- Electrician
- Locksmith
- Carpenter
Strata Insurance
Covers residential buildings under a strata, body corporate or community title.
- Accidental loss or damage from a range of incidents such as floods, storms, fires (including bushfire), and lightning
- Theft and malicious damage by lot occupiers (such as tenants) and their guests
- Temporary accommodation for lot owners
- Loss of rent following an insured event
- Embezzlement of funds
- Emergency repairs and other repairs or rebuilding costs
- Resilience improvement
To learn more about what is and isn’t covered, including limitations, read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
Why choose GIO Home Insurance
With decades of experience, GIO understands the unique risks Australian homes face, from floods and storms to bushfires.
24/7 Claims
Lodge and track claims any time, from anywhere.
Guaranteed workmanship
Lifetime guarantee on repairs we arrange.
Local knowledge and claims team
99 years insuring homes across NSW and Australia.
Add optional covers to your policy.
For an additional premium, our optional covers can help with everything from excess-free glass claims to providing emergency home assistance.
GIO Home Assist
Get help fast in the event of a home emergency. Plumbers, electricians, locksmiths or carpenters can be arranged when you need urgent attention at home.
Excess-Free Glass Cover
Accidently broken windows, shower screens or skylights? We'll offer cover for the cost to replace glass without you paying an excess.^
Safety Net Home Protection
Rebuild costs exceeding your sum insured? With Safety Net Home Protection we pay a further percentage of your sum insured towards repairing or rebuilding the home.^
Accidental damage at home
This covers you if you lose, break or damage something accidentally at your home for example by dropping, knocking over or spilling something without intent.
Not sure how much to insure your home for?
Use our calculators to estimate the cost of rebuilding your home and replacing your contents, to help you choose an appropriate sum insured amount for your needs.
Home insurance in action
These examples are for illustrative purposes only and are based on common scenarios. Cover depends on your circumstances and the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions that apply to the policy.
Burst pipes flooding your kitchen
A pipe under your kitchen sink suddenly bursts while you’re at work, causing water damage to cabinets, flooring and appliances.
How GIO Home Insurance can help:
GIO Home and Contents Insurance may help cover loss or damage caused by the escape of liquid, including:
- replacing damaged cabinets and flooring, and
- fixing affected areas of the kitchen.
Storm damage to your roof
A severe storm damages your roof overnight. In the morning, you notice water dripping from the ceiling in your living room. Several roof tiles have been blown off. Rainwater has entered the house, damaging the ceiling and carpet.
How GIO Home Insurance can help:
Because storm damage is included in GIO Building Insurance and GIO Home and Contents Insurance, it may help cover the cost of storm-related loss or damage for:
- repairing the roof, and
- fixing damage caused to your ceilings, walls and flooring.
Stolen electronics during burglary
You return home after a weekend away to find your back door forced open and several items, including your laptop, gaming console, and TV missing.
How GIO Home Insurance can help:
GIO Home and Contents Insurance and Contents Insurance cover may help cover theft and burglary related loss, including stolen household item, up to applicable limits.
FAQS
People also ask
GIO Home Building Insurance covers the building and permanently attached fixtures, for example:
- walls
- roof
- windows
- doors
- kitchen cabinets
- solar panels, and
- hot water system.
It also offers cover for other structures and fixtures, such as garages, inground pools, driveways and fences.
GIO Home Contents Insurance covers the household items you own, like:
- carpet
- furniture
- unattached appliances
- clothing
- jewellery
- curtains, and
- rugs.
See the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for full definitions, exclusions and limits.
Comparing home and contents insurance should start with cover you need, whether that’s building insurance, contents insurance, cover for personal valuables or landlord insurance. When comparing policies you can:
- check what cover is included in each policy you’re considering
- review any optional and additional covers available
- get a quote for the policy or policies you’re considering, and
- compare the quote and what’s covered against other quotes you may have received.
To work out how much insurance you may need, it’s important to estimate the cost to repair or rebuild your home and replace your contents. This is known as the sum insured.
It’s important to review your sum insured when you first take out cover and each time you renew your policy. You should also review it regularly and update it if your circumstances change, including if you’ve recently brought new items.
To help estimate the replacement value of your home and contents, use our Building Calculator and our Contents Calculator.
To find out how much home insurance may cost, get a quote.
Contents are household items you own or are responsible for that are mainly used for domestic purposes. This doesn’t include items permanently attached to the insured address. Contents can include, but are not limited to:
- furniture;
- furnishings;
- clothing;
- home computers and printers;
- unfixed electrical goods and appliances not housed in a cabinet;
- internal blinds;
- drapes and curtains;
- carpets;
- plants in pots, and
- medical equipment and aids.
Contents Insurance can help cover household items for both homeowners or renters. For more information about what is and isn’t covered, limits and exclusions, read the Home and Contents PDS.
Learn more about Contents Insurance.
With GIO Safety net home protection, where repair or rebuild costs after an insured event exceed your sum insured, we pay a further percentage of your sum insured towards the repair or rebuild of the home by our builder, when our builder, or the amount of the builder’s assessed quote to repair or rebuild the home if your claim is being settled on this basis.
Safety net home protection is automatically included in GIO Classic Extras and GIO Platinum home building cover and is an optional cover for GIO Classic policies for an additional premium.
| Classic (available as optional extra) | Classic Extras (automatically included) | Platinum (automatically included) |
We’ll pay up to a further 25% of the home | We’ll pay up to a further 25% of the home | We’ll pay up to a further 30% of the home |
Conditions and exclusions apply. See the PDS for full details.
During renovations or building works we don't cover loss, damage or legal liability including:
- Damage from cracking, collapse or subsidence caused by the works
- Storm, flood or water damage entering through openings in walls, roofs or unfinished areas (even if temporarily covered)
- Theft or damage through areas under construction that cannot be secured
We also don't cover legal liability for or caused by, connected with, or arising from building works where the total cost exceeds $50,000.
We don’t cover any new buildings in the course of construction.
There are certain building works you must tell us about. See 'When you must contact us' in the GIO Home & Contents Insurance PDS for details.
Important information
*If you’re eligible for more than one discount, we apply them in a pre-set order to the discounted premium, before government taxes and charges.
^Discount not applicable to GIO Roadside Assist, GIO Home Assist or Excess-free Glass cover optional covers.
**No bushfire, storm or flood cover in the first 72 hours of cover. Very limited exceptions apply. Actions or movements of the sea and storm surge are not covered (unless the storm surge damage occurs at the same time as damage caused by storm). Limits and exclusions apply.
Storm surge
Flood
Flood means the covering of normally dry land by water that has escaped or been released from the normal confines of things like a lake, river or other natural watercourse. It doesn't include high tides, waves and other movements of the sea, or storm surges, and we don't cover loss or damage to retaining walls, sea walls, garden borders and free-standing outdoor walls.
Storm
We do not cover loss or damage caused by actions or movements of the sea even if they occur during a storm, flood or storm surge.
Lightning
Lightning, including associated power surges, will be covered providing a qualified repairer gives written confirmation to show lightning as the cause of loss or damage and the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology has a record of lightning in the area.
Fire (including bushfire)
Fire is considered burning with flames and also includes damage from heat, ash, soot and smoke that is the direct result of a fire within 100 metres of the insured address. Arcing, scorching and cigarette burns are not fire damage unless a fire spreads from the initial burn spot.
If there is a bushfire in your area, we will also cover the extra costs of replacing water in any tank, container, pool, spa or other storage vessel that has been used to limit the spread of bushfires in your area, and the cost of cleaning any fire retardant off your home. The most we will pay under this extra costs cover is $1,000 for any one incident.
Earthquake and Tsunami
We cover damage caused in the first 72 hours after an earthquake or tsunami. A tsunami is not considered an action or movement of the sea.
Theft or burglary
Theft or burglary occurs when someone enters the insured address without your consent and steals or intends to steal items. We don't cover loss or damage caused by anyone living at the address.
Escape of liquid
This covers loss or damage caused by sudden and unexpected liquid escaping from certain appliances, fixed pipes, drains and more.
We also cover loss or damage caused by liquid escaping from these items that has occurred gradually when the loss or damage that was occurring wasn’t easily visible to a reasonable person in the circumstances.
We do not cover the cost of fixing the item from which the liquid escaped, or loss or damage caused by liquid from a portable container. Other exclusions apply. See the PDS for more details on what we do and don't cover.
Impact
We cover damage which occurs at the insured address when hit by an object such as a tree, car and even space debris. It doesn't cover trees being cut back, cut down or moved by you or for you.
Temporary accommodation for tenants and strata title owners
If you can't live in your home or unit while it's being repaired or rebuilt as a result of it being damaged by an insured event, we’ll pay your reasonable temporary accommodation costs for you and your pets that you normally keep at the insured address. If you're a tenant who needs to temporarily move out, then we’ll pay for any reasonable extra rent costs for temporary accommodation. The most we'll pay for any one incident under this cover is 10% of your general contents sum insured. Conditions and exclusions apply, see the PDS for details.
Contents in commercial storage (Contents cover only)
If you have contents in a secure commercial storage facility we'll cover them during the period of insurance for loss or damage by an insured event as long as the facility is lockable, only accessible by you or someone authorised by you, and is fully enclosed by walls (including doors), floor and roof. Please read the PDS for limits and exclusions.
Cover for contents while moving to a new address (Contents cover only)
If you have contents cover and you’re permanently moving to a new address in Australia, we’ll cover your contents while they are being moved, for loss or damage during the period of insurance caused by:
- fire
- flood
- collision, overturning, accident, or theft of the vehicle carrying them.
NEW GIO Home Assist
GIO Home Assist - currently free with a new Home Building Insurance policy (excl. Landlord) — is an optional cover that can offer you help from a plumber, electrician, locksmith or carpenter in a home emergency. So if you’ve had GIO Home Assist added to your policy for 24 hours or more and you come home to something unexpected, like a burst pipe or blown fuse, we can help get it sorted ASAP.
Flood
Flood means the covering of normally dry land by water that has escaped or been released from the normal confines of things like a lake, river, or other natural watercourse. It doesn't include high tides, waves and other movements of the sea, or storm surges, and we don't cover loss or damage to retaining walls, sea walls, garden borders and free-standing outdoor walls.
No bushfire, storm or flood cover in the first 72 hours of your policy. Very limited exceptions apply. Actions or movements of the sea and storm surge are not covered (unless the storm surge damage occurs at the same time as damage caused by storm). Limits and exclusions apply.
Storm
Storm means a storm, cyclone or severe atmospheric disturbance. It can be accompanied by strong winds, rain, lightning, hail, snow or dust. Damage caused by the sea is not considered "storm damage" on its own but is covered if it happens at the same time as damage by the storm.
No bushfire, storm or flood cover in the first 72 hours of your policy. Very limited exceptions apply. Actions or movements of the sea and storm surge are not covered (unless the storm surge damage occurs at the same time as damage caused by storm). Limits and exclusions apply.
Storm surge
Storm surge means a rush of water onshore associated with a low-pressure system and caused by strong winds pushing on the ocean’s surface.
We cover loss or damage caused by storm surge that happens at the same time as the other insured damage caused by storm.
Storm surge does not include actions or movements of the sea.
Theft or burglary
Theft or burglary occurs when someone enters the insured address without your consent and steals or intends to steal items. We don't cover loss or damage caused by anyone living at the address.
Temporary accommodation
If you can't live in your home after an incident covered by your policy, you may be entitled to reasonable temporary accommodation costs until your home is repaired or rebuilt. If you’re not sure whether this applies to you, or you want more information on limits and exclusions, check your policy documents or get in touch with us to discuss.
Guarantee on work we authorise
We guarantee the quality of the workmanship for all authorised repairs if we have selected and directly authorised a supplier.
New for old, regardless of age
We will rebuild, replace, or repair with new items or new materials that are reasonably and readily available at the time of rebuild, replacement or repair from Australian suppliers.
When replacing your contents, if the quoted cost to repair is more than the cost of replacement or the content item cannot be repaired, you have the option for a replacement on a ‘new for old’ basis sourced through our supplier network. Conditions apply – see the PDS for more information.
$20 million legal liability
Provides up to $20 million to pay compensation, including all associated legal costs, for death of or bodily injury to other people, or loss or damage to their property, resulting from an incident which happens during the period of insurance in connection with certain situations. Applies to home cover. Please read the PDS for full details of the terms, conditions and exclusions.
For example, with home cover, if someone's injured falling down your stairs, which you're held legally liable for, we cover damages (money paid to the victim as compensation) including all associated legal costs up to $20 million.
Specified portable valuables
This also covers accidental loss or damage to specified items normally carried with you away from home anywhere in Australia or New Zealand, up to the sum insured which you choose for each individual item. Jewellery and watches only are covered anywhere in the world for up to 30 consecutive days, but only while being worn by you or in a secure safe. This optional cover is available with Classic and Classic Extras cover.
Unspecified portable valuables
This covers accidental loss or damage to items normally carried with you away from home like your mobile phone, jewellery, camera, tablet or laptop (max $1,000 per item, pair, set or collection and up to your total Unspecified valuables sum insured). This optional cover is available with Classic and Classic Extras cover.
Safety net home protection
If the cost to repair or rebuild loss or damage to your home covered by your policy exceeds the home sum insured we will pay up to a further percentage of the home sum insured towards either:
- repair or rebuild of the home by our builder, when our builder is repairing or rebuilding
- the amount of our builder’s assessed quote to repair or rebuild the home, when your claim is being settled on this basis
- the amount of your builder’s assessed quote, when your claim is being settled on this basis.
See PDS for full details including limits, terms and exclusions.
Motor burnout
Cover for electric motors in household equipment and appliances that are equal to or less than 10 years old when they burnout or fuse. This includes things like the motor in your freestanding fridge or a split-system air conditioner.
Accidental damage at home
This covers you if you lose, break or damage something accidentally at your home for example by dropping, knocking over or spilling something without intent.
Excess-free Glass cover
When your claim is only for accidental breakage of fixed glass in windows, doors, skylights and shower screens, mirrors fixed to the home, or other fixed glass (including glass tint if fitted) during the period of insurance, we cover the cost to replace that glass without you having to pay an excess.
GIO Home Assist
This is an emergency assistance service that provides you with plumbing, electrical, locksmith or carpentry services in the event of a home emergency. It is not a general maintenance or preventative service (for example, it doesn't cover painting, or replacing light bulbs or tap washers) or a disaster response service. This cover is only available 24 hours after adding it to a new or existing policy.
Some conditions apply. Please refer to the Home and Contents PDS for more information.