Home fire insurance

Compare home insurance policies that cover fires

1 - 7 of 106

Name	Product AUFHO	Finder score
Youi Building and Contents Insurance Youi Building and Contents Insurance 4.5/5★★★★★ Finder score Best Rated Brand	Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features	4.5/5★★★★★ Finder score	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 Budget Direct Home & Contents Insurance 4.5/5★★★★★ Finder score Best Rated BrandBonusFinder Award Finalist	Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features	4.5/5★★★★★ Finder score	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 QBE Home & Contents Insurance 3.5/5★★★★★ Finder score Green CompanyBonus	Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features	3.5/5★★★★★ Finder score	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...
Qantas Home and Contents Insurance Qantas Home and Contents Insurance 4.5/5★★★★★ Finder score BonusFinder Award Finalist	Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features	4.5/5★★★★★ Finder score	Our verdict: Earn up to 40K Qantas Points for joining by 29 January. Plus save 30% on your 1st year’s premium for purchasing a combined home and contents policy online. T&Cs apply.	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
ALDI Home & Contents Insurance ALDI Home & Contents Insurance	Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features	N/A	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Huddle Comprehensive Home and Contents Insurance Huddle Comprehensive Home and Contents Insurance	Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features	N/A	Our verdict: Save up to 10% on your policy in the first year.	Get a quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Honey Home & Contents Insurance Honey Home & Contents Insurance 4.5/5★★★★★ Finder score Bonus	Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features Storm Fire Theft Flood Accidental Damage (e.g TV falls) Impact to home (e.g falling trees) Escaped water (e.g burst pipe) Portable contents (e.g dropped laptop outside of home) + more insured events and other features	4.5/5★★★★★ Finder score	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...

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Finder survey: Do Australians have home insurance for fire protection?

Finder's top home insurance pick for fires: Youi

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What we like about Youi:

In addition to cover for fires and bushfires, Youi is the only policy we looked at that specifies it covers:

• accidental fires within 100 metres of your home,
• soot or smoke damage from a bushfire
• temporary accommodation if you're told by the local authorities to evacuate.

All home insurance policies typically cover fires but Youi's product disclosure statement (PDS) is much more detailed. Unlike others, it clearly specifies you're covered for accidental fires, including fires caused directly by mechanical or electrical failures. Some other insurers don't cover this automatically.

Why we chose Youi

We only looked at Finder home insurance partners and selected our top pick for fire damage cover based on who offered all of these benefits: bushfire cover, accidental fire cover, soot or smoke from bushfire cover, damage from an accidental fire 100m from your home and temporary accommodation, evacuation cover. We did not research all insurers on the market.

What does a home insurance policy cover you for?

Here's how different parts of a home insurance policy can help if your property is affected by fire.

How to lodge a claim after a fire

When you are ready to claim after a fire, here's 4 things you need to do:

Contact your insurer.

Let them know ASAP so that they can assess the damage.

Gather evidence.

Take photos of the damage, get the police report and make a list of what you lost in the fire. Try to locate proof of ownership of the items you lost.

Lodge your claim.

Fill this out on the insurer's website and send it back to them along with the evidence you've gathered.

Wait for the results.

If your claim is accepted, your insurer will pay to repair or replace whatever is covered by your policy. If your claim is denied, you have the right to several rounds of appeals, first through the insurer's internal disputes department and then through the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).

How common are fire insurance claims?

According to an April 2022 Finder survey, the joint top 3 home insurance claims were for fire (4%), hail (4%) and mould (4%).

What fire insurance doesn't cover

Here are some reasons an insurer could deny your claim:

• A bushfire occurs within 48–72 hours of you buying your policy (the argument is that you could have bought your insurance only after you found out your home was in the path of an existing fire).
• Damage from ash, soot or smoke caused by a fire away from your home (you'll only be covered for ash, soot and smoke if the fire damaged your house).
• Your house didn't comply with fire regulations (for example, you have a wood heater that was not installed according to regulations).
• The fire was intentional.
• It was caused by negligence.
• There was no flame.

FAQs about fire insurance

• What is fire insurance?

  Fire insurance should be included in all home and contents insurance policies. It can pay to repair or replace your home and your belongings if they are damaged by fire. It can also cover you for temporary accommodation if you can't stay in your damaged house.

  Keep in mind, for a fire to have occurred, there needs to be a flame present. Insurers don't generally cover other heat-related problems like scorching or melting.

• Does home insurance cover bushfires?

  Fire insurance also includes bushfires. However, you generally need to have held the home insurance policy for longer than 72 hours to be covered for bushfires.

• Does home insurance cover accidental fires?

  Yes it can but it's not always clear if home insurance policies will cover accidental fires. For example, many insurers will cover accidental fire damage under accidental damage. However, accidental damage isn't automatically covered by many policies. You need to pay extra for it.

• Is fire damage covered by contents insurance?

  Yes. Contents insurance covers you for damage to your belongings caused by fire, including bushfire. It may make sense to get contents insurance if you own an apartment, unit or townhouse. This is because your building is typically covered by strata.

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

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Gary Ross has written 655 Finder guides across topics including:

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