Home fire insurance

All home insurance policies cover fire damage but some also include accidental fire and soot damage from a bushfire.

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Product AUFHO Finder Score Fire, Storm & Theft Damage Flood Accidental damage Escape of Liquid
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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.
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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.
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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.
Youi Home Insurance logo
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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.
QBE Home Insurance logo
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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.
Qantas Home and Contents Insurance
BonusFinder award finalist
Qantas Home Insurance logo
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Our verdict: Earn up to 30,000 Qantas Points for joining by 2 April. Plus save 30% on your 1st year’s premium for purchasing a combined home and contents policy online. T&Cs apply.
Huddle Home Insurance logo
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Our verdict: Save up to 10% on your policy in the first year.
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Finder Score - Home and Contents Insurance

Each month, we get crunching on most every home insurance product in Australia to see how they stack up. We rank over 50 products on 16 different features, including price. We end up with a single score out of 10 that helps you compare home insurance a bit faster.

Read full Finder Score methodology

Key takeaways

Finder's top home insurance pick for fires: Youi

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.

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

Response
Female
Male
Fire protection30.17%29.14%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1113 Australians, December 2023

What does a home insurance policy cover you for?

Fire insurance generally covers you for loss or damage caused by: fire, bushfires and grass fires and smoke.

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

Home

Home (building) insurance:

  • Repairing or rebuilding your home
  • Temporary accommodation. For example, if your house isn't safe to stay in after a fire.
  • Demolishing the destroyed house and/or removing debris
  • Regulatory fees related to building construction
  • Professional services like surveyors and architects

contents insurance

Contents insurance:

  • Repairing or replacing your damaged items
  • Storing your undamaged belongings if they can't stay at the property
  • Removing and disposing of undamaged contents

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:

one

Contact your insurer.

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

two

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.

three

Lodge your claim.

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

four

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).

Washing machine on fire
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

Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Journalist

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

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 631 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living

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