Insurance Enquiry Form

Many insurance-related questions are answered in your Product Disclosure Statement. If you have not already done so, we recommend that you read through this document before submitting an enquiry to our service. Our fact sheet on understanding your insurance policy may help you.

Our dedicated Motor Vehicle Accident problem solver allows you to choose your circumstances (such as if you are at fault, or not at fault, or not sure about fault). The problem solver provides answers to the vast majority of questions you're likely to have about accidents.

Our Factsheets also provide comprehensive information about:

• Car Insurance Claim
• Paying Insurance Excess
• Problems with Insurance Repairs
• Car Insurance Claim Refused
• Written-off Vehicles
• Buying Car Insurance
• Rental Cars and Insurance
• Courtesy cars after an accident
• Understanding your Insurance Policy
• Insurance Complaints to AFCA

We cannot provide advice on motor vehicle insurance issues through this website enquiry form. If you were insured and in one of our priority groups:

• living in financial distress, including people on Centrelink or low income,
• experiencing or at risk of family violence and/or homelessness,
• living or caring for someone with significant health problems,
• facing challenges due to age, gender, sexuality, literacy, language, race or cultural background, or
• facing the aftermath of large-scale natural disasters such as cyclones, bushfires, flood.

please call 1300 663 464. Please note we do not advise on fault, or on court action involving motor vehicle accidents.

Otherwise, please call your local Legal Aid or local Community Legal Centre

When you hire a rental car, most rental car companies do not provide “insurance” like you would normally obtain over your own vehicle.

We are unable to advise on Rental car agreements. We have more information available here in our Rental Cars Factsheet

Please call your local Legal Aid or local Community Legal Centre for general consumer law advice.

I have some questions about buying insurance

We have fact sheets available on buying different types of policies:

• Car insurance
• Funeral Insurance
• Home and contents insurance

ASIC’s Moneysmart website also has some resources you may find useful on things to consider when buying different types of policies.

Our service is unable to provide financial advice or recommendations about different types of policies or insurers. What level of insurance suits you depends on what risks you want to be covered and you should shop around based on price and coverage.

An insurance broker may be able to assist, but you should be careful about fees and commissions, and any conflicts of interest.

You should always read the policy documents carefully and check that any required disclosures have been provided and are set out on your certificate of insurance.

I cannot get insurance

Not everyone can get insurance. Insurers largely get to “pick and choose” who they are willing to provide insurance to, and on what terms (as long as they are not acting unlawfully) by discriminating against you based on age, gender, disability etc. Even then, insurers have an exemption from some types of discrimination where there is actuarial or statistical data to justify such discrimination.

You should seek advice if you believe you have been unlawfully discriminated against as it is a complex area – but usually it is the insurer who has the burden to establish why their discrimination is justified.

Common reasons why insurers may legitimately refuse to insure you include:

• You’ve had too many claims in a short period
• You have been bankrupt (usually only a factor for business insurance);
• You have a criminal conviction for fraud or dishonesty offences, or
• You have too many speeding or traffic offences (for car insurance).

In these cases, you could shop around. An insurance broker may be able to assist, but you should be careful about fees and commissions, and any conflicts of interest. You should always read the policy documents carefully and check that any required disclosures have been provided and are set out on your certificate of insurance.

If you cannot get insurance now, you may still be able to later on. For instance, some insurers will only ask about claims in the last five years.

It is important you are truthful and accurate with your answers to any questions the insurer asks you. When a claim is made, the insurer may investigate and if they discover they never would have given you insurance in the first place, they will cancel your policy and refuse your claim. There is no point paying premiums for a policy that will not cover you.

If you still have questions, our enquiry form is below for non-urgent enquiries.

I have a dispute about my premium

If you are unhappy with your premium, read our High Insurance Premiums or Cover Refused fact sheet.

For flood premiums, see our Flood Premiums fact sheet.

If you still have questions, our enquiry form is below for non-urgent enquiries.

I want to lodge a claim but I have a few questions first

Your policy documents will give you an initial indication as to whether you have a claim. You can read our fact sheet about how to understand your policy documents.

If you think there could be a claim, you could consider claiming first and seeking advice if your claim is rejected. The claims process generally involves factual questions about events that happened, and you should answer these openly and honestly. The insurer may seek to verify this information later.

You may want to seek advice first if there are complex issues such as multiple policies.

• If you are in a car accident and you are not sure if you should claim or not, see our Car Insurance Claim fact sheet.
• If you are not sure about whether to claim on your home or contents policy, see our Home or Contents Insurance fact sheet.

If you still have questions, our enquiry form is available below for non-urgent matters. Bear in mind that we cannot tell you if your claim will be accepted or not.

I have a dispute about my excess

Read our Paying Insurance Excess fact sheet first.

If you still have questions, our enquiry form is below for non-urgent enquiries.

The insurance company is investigating me

They have asked for a lot of personal information and asked I be interviewed

Please read our Insurance Investigation fact sheet first.

If you still have questions, our enquiry form is below for non-urgent enquiries.

I have lodged a claim but I still don't have an answer from the insurance company

We have a fact sheet that applies to general insurance policies (such as home, car, travel, pet insurance) and sets out the steps you should take moving forward.

If your enquiry is about life insurance, many of the same principles in terms of escalating a complaint to your insurer, and lodging in the Australian Financial Complaints Authority apply.

If you still have questions, our enquiry form is below for non-urgent enquiries.

My claim was approved but there are problems with the quality of repairs

Read our Problems With Insurance Repairs fact sheet for help.

Please note we only provide very limited advice on this issue. In most cases, the dispute comes down to what the expert evidence says – for instance, to establish why the repairs need rectification, and detailed quotes about what works are necessary.

For more information about escalating your complaint see our fact sheet on Insurance Complaints to AFCA.

Please ring us on 1300 663 464 if you are experiencing any issues our online resources do not address.

My claim was approved but I am not satisfied with the amount they are paying or the extent of the repairs approved

We have a Part Payment of Insurance Claim fact sheet on this issue.

Note we only provide very limited advice on this issue. In most cases, the dispute comes down to either:

1. What the policy set out – for instance, car policies will clearly set out whether insurers can use second hand parts, home policies will define what their obligations are in terms of matching materials.
2. What the expert evidence says – for instance, to establish what the scope of the works should be, how the works should be performed and/or the costs of those works.

For more information about escalating your complaint – see our fact sheet on Insurance Complaints to AFCA.

Call us on 1300 663 464 if you are experiencing any issues our online resources do not address.

My insurance claim was refused

If it is your car insurance claim that has been refused, read our Car Insurance Claim Refused fact sheet.

If it is your home or contents claim that has been refused, read the Home or Contents Insurance Claim Refused fact sheet.

Make sure your insurer explains clearly to you why your insurer has refused your claim – this is a crucial detail for us to be able to provide proper advice. If your insurer has not explained why your claim has been refused, or has been unclear with the reasons, you should first request written reasons and copies of any evidence they are relying on.

If you have any trouble getting information or documents, read the Insurance Complaints to AFCA fact sheet.

If you still have questions, our enquiry form is below for non-urgent enquiries.

My policy has been cancelled because of unpaid monthly premiums

You should confirm with your insurer:

• The dates the premiums went unpaid and why
• Check your bank accounts to verify why the direct debits failed
• Whether cancellation notices were sent to you (and obtain copies of these)
• Ask for a copy of your policy documents

If you can obtain these details before contacting us, it will help us to give advice about your options moving forward.

If you have questions, our enquiry form is below for non-urgent enquiries.

Our Insurance Law Service attempts to respond to consumer emails within 2 weeks

If your problem is more urgent please call our telephone advice line between 10am-1pm (Sydney time) on 1300 663 464. Insurance Law Service staff will contact you using the details you provide. This may include contacting you to follow-up any assistance we have provided.

Please let us know if you have any privacy concerns.