Home insurance for older homes

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Product AUFHO	Finder Score	Fire, Storm & Theft Damage	Flood	Accidental damage	Escape of Liquid
Youi Building and Contents Insurance Best Rated Brand	Finder score 5.8 Standard		Yes	Optional		Our verdict: Finder’s 2022 Insurer of the Year for Customer Satisfaction and our Top Pick for Fire Damage cover. It’s good if you want a tailored quote over the phone.	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Budget Direct Home & Contents Insurance Best Rated BrandBonusFinder Award Finalist	Finder score 9.2 Excellent		Optional	Optional		Our verdict: The most popular insurer on Finder, Budget Direct prioritises low-cost cover and gives you up to 30% off your first year's premium for new combined Home & Contents policies purchased online.	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
QBE Home & Contents Insurance Green CompanyBonus	Finder score 9.6 Excellent		Yes	Optional		Our verdict: Finder's Top Pick for Floods plus cover for other common claims such as fire and theft). Its discount is better than most – 20% off your first year with a combined policy.	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Honey Home & Contents Insurance Bonus	Finder score 8.3 Great		Yes	Optional		Our verdict: Honey gives you $250 smart sensors to reduce accidents and estimates your rebuild costs for you. Honey was a finalist for the comprehensive category in this year’s Finder Awards.	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Kogan Home & Contents Insurance Bonus	Finder score 9.6 Excellent		Yes	Optional		Our verdict: Good comprehensive cover (issued by QBE). Also, get $5 Kogan.com credit when you purchase a new combined Home & Contents insurance policy online. T&Cs apply.	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Huddle Comprehensive Home and Contents Insurance	Finder score 5.8 Standard		Yes			Our verdict: Save up to 10% on your policy in the first year.	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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"I have a mid-century home that contains some asbestos, particularly in the wet areas. It's in very good condition – even builders have commented on how well maintained the property is – but a number of home insurance providers wouldn't even give me a quote. I personally found Allianz and Youi very helpful when discussing the home's age and asbestos at the time. Now when I compare cover, I always triple-check the conditions – and make sure to increase the sum insured, as the cost of replacing the property would be higher with asbestos removal."

Amy Bradney-George

Editor

Why are older homes harder to insure?

As a general rule, older homes present a higher risk to insurance companies. This is because:

• Older homes are more likely to suffer damage. For example, they may have been constructed with out-of-date materials that simply won't stand up to storm damage. Or the plumbing and electrical wiring may have deteriorated, which can cause expensive damage.
• Renovations. If you plan to renovate your older home, additional insurance cover may be needed and this can be expensive. Be aware that a regular home insurance policy may not cover you during renovations and it could cost you more to find a policy that offers the right coverage. At a minimum, you need to let your insurer know that you're renovating so they can discuss how extensive the renovations are and decide if your existing cover is adequate. If you do extensive renovations without telling your insurer and go to make a claim later on, it could be void.

What to keep in mind when getting insurance for an older home

• Roofing. Roof condition is one of the key factors insurers will consider when determining the cost of insurance. The age of the roof, the materials used in its construction and its current state of repair will all be taken into account. You should also be aware that claims resulting from leaky roofs caused by a lack of maintenance are commonly rejected by insurers, so you'll need to make sure you stay on top of any routine maintenance tasks.
• Wiring. If your older home is sporting an outdated electrical system, this greatly increases the risk of fire. Knob and tube wiring, common in houses more than 50 years old and especially those built before World War II, can be a particularly common cause of problems. Not only may a full house rewire be a major priority for the safety of your family, but it could also be a requirement if you want to take out home insurance.
• Plumbing. An outdated plumbing system increases the risk of flooding, so the ancient plumbing in your old home won't be seen as a feature by insurers. Before agreeing to cover you, an insurer may request that the outdated plumbing system in your home be replaced within a certain timeframe, so you'll need to factor this cost into your budgeting when working out the cost of buying the home.
• Construction. There are several other factors about a home's construction that insurers will consider when deciding whether to provide cover. For example, how secure are the home's foundations? Is there asbestos present? When was it built? It's common for insurers to send out an assessor to examine your home in person and determine the risks faced.
• Heritage-listed homes. Insuring an older home can be particularly difficult if that home happens to be heritage-listed. If a heritage-listed building is partially damaged, the cost of restoring that part of the property to match the original home can be very expensive. Many of the materials used to construct listed homes are simply not readily available, and the job may even require the expertise of specialist tradesmen, architects and other professionals.
• Wood burning stoves. From a home safety point of view, wood burning stoves and open fireplaces fall well short when compared to modern heating solutions. As a result, many policies exclude damage caused by combustion heaters and open fireplaces from cover.

FAQs

• Can I get home insurance on a heritage listed building?

  Yes, it's possible, it'll likely just be costly. You can try getting quotes from standard home insurers but if you have difficulty finding a provider that will cover you, you can outreach to a broker who may be able to find you a more specialist provider.

• Can a house be too old to insure with home insurance?

  It's possible. If the house is old and in bad condition, it may be seen as too risky to insure and insurers may steer clear of it.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise

Gary Ross has written 644 Finder guides across topics including:

• Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
• Managing the cost of living

Co-written by

Peta Taylor

Publisher of Insurance

Peta Taylor is a publisher at Finder, working across all of insurance. She's been analysing product disclosure statements and publishing articles for over 2 years. Peta is passionate about demystifying complex insurance products to help users make well educated decisions with confidence. Peta is part of Finder's insurance awards team and works alongside editorial and insights experts to bring users the best insurance products every year. See full bio