Total replacement home insurance covers the market cost to rebuild. It's only offered by AAMI, but a comparable alternative exists in the form of "sum insured" cover.
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Total replacement home insurance (sometimes called complete replacement home insurance) works like this: if an insured event like a fire or storm destroys your home, it can cover the cost of rebuilding your property to its previous state.
Most home insurance policies don't do this; with most, you select how much you want to insure your property for (sum insured).
Total replacement cover home insurance policies reduce the gap between the amount your home is insured for and what it actually costs to rebuild the home to its original condition. As a result, they tend to cost more.
The often cheaper alternative is a sum insured safeguard. This is a "safety net" that can provide up to an additional 30% of cover on top of your sum insured if your home is destroyed.
Total replacement cover vs sum insured cover
There are two main types of home insurance available:
Total replacement insurance covers the market value of rebuilding your home, so you're unlikely to have any out of pocket expenses.
Sum insured cover makes it your responsibility to decide how much your home will cost to rebuild. For example, if you insure your home for $1,000,000 but it ends up costing $1,200,000 to rebuild, you'll be $200,000 out of pocket.
Total replacement cover
Sum insured cover
You don’t set a cover limit.
You set a cover limit.
The insurer pays the total cost of rebuilding your home.
The insurer pays up to your limit if your home is damaged by an insured event.
It's worth considering if you don’t know how much it will cost to rebuild your home.
It's worth considering if you know how much it will cost to rebuild your home.
The best protection against underinsurance.
Has a higher risk of underinsurance.
How to calculate the replacement cost of your home
According to the Insurance Council of Australia, 83% of Australian homeowners and renters are underinsured. To make sure you have the right amount of home insurance, there are two main methods for working out the cost:
Cost per square metre. This is a basic method and is based on the size of the house and the materials it's made of, so it can't be relied upon to provide an accurate figure.
Elemental estimating. This is a much more sophisticated method that takes into account a range of factors, including local wage rates, material costs, the quality of the finishes used, the nature of the building site, how many levels the home has, council approval fees and more.
Angelo Azar: Tips to calculate your sum insured
"It's important to factor in expenses such as demolition of your damaged home, removal of the debris that is leftover and also, planning for the new home. These are considerable factors that can add significant costs to the overall rebuild costs, particularly where a policy sum insured doesn't factor in any additional costs for these expenses."
Angelo Azar is the Chief Operating Officer at Honey Insurance.
Online calculators tip
Try to look for an online calculator that takes into account current building and replacement costs to help you reach a more accurate sum insured. This calculator from the Insurance Council of Australia is a great place to start.
Is total replacement home insurance right for me?
Pros
It greatly reduces the risk of underinsurance.
Peace of mind of knowing that you'll be able to afford the rebuilding costs if disaster strikes.
You don't need to rely on your own (perhaps limited) knowledge of how much to cover your home for.
Cons
Total replacement cover is usually more expensive than sum insured cover.
It can take longer to receive the funds as the insurer will need to complete an assessment.
Many sum insured policies also offer a "safety net" that can provide up to 30% additional cover which may be enough.
Bottom line about total replacement cover
Regardless of whether you choose total replacement or sum insured home insurance, it’s essential that you shop around before you commit to any one policy. By comparing the features and costs of a range of policies, you’ll find the best value for money for your individual circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Total replacement cover is often an optional extra that you can purchase as part of your home insurance policy. It can be a good option for those who are concerned about underinsurance as the insurer will offer to rebuild your home as it was or pay you the assessed quote to do that.
Total replacement cover can be worth it if you're particularly concerned about what the rebuild cost of your home would be and not having enough cover for this. However, it can add to your premium so it can be worth weighing up the benefits of adding this vs just increasing your sum insured.
Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio
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