House insurance claims after a natural disaster

Experiencing a natural disaster can be stressful. If you've been impacted and have made a claim, rest assured that Tower is here to help.

Read more on what to expect if you've made a house insurance claim following a natural disaster.

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Experiencing a natural disaster can be stressful. If you've been impacted and have had to make a claim, rest assured that Tower is here to help.

Here we give a rundown on what to expect if you've made a house insurance claim following a natural disaster.

What happens during a house insurance claim?

Step 1 - Lodge your claim

Let us know about damage to your home by lodging a claim in My Tower*, or if you don't have a My Tower account complete the claim form online here.

*Only claims for cars, contents, house, and landlord policies can be lodged through My Tower.

Step 2 - We assess the damage

One of our assessors will aim to contact you within two business days to assess the cause and extent of damage to your property. In some cases, the assessor will work for one of our assessing partners (like Gallagher Bassett, Claims Central, or Sedgwick), who will act on Tower's behalf to work with you.

The assessor will work with you on a scope of work and cost estimate to complete repairs to the damaged areas of your property.

In some cases, a more detailed report may be required or immediate make safe work may be necessary. If that's the case, the assessor will work with you to carry this out.

If your claim is an EQCover claim managed by Tower, the assessor may also engage a geotechnical engineer and land valuer.

Step 3 - We review the assessment report

Your assessor and Tower will review the assessment report(s) and confirm that we have all the necessary information to proceed with repairs.

In the case of an EQCover claim, your assessor will provide the assessment report(s) to your claim manager at Tower, who will then contact you to discuss the outcome.

Step 4 - Repair begins on your property

If you choose a cash settlement for your claim, you'll need to organise and manage the repair to your property yourself. This can be quicker and more convenient if there's a large volume of claims, such as following a natural disaster.

In this case, your excess will be deducted from the total settlement amount.

If Tower completes the repairs to your property, then Tower will arrange either your assessor to manage, or a builder/tradesperson, to carry out the repairs. The assessor or builder/tradeperson will arrange suitable repair times directly with you and update you on progress.

The assessor or Tower will advise you of your excess amount, and who to pay that amount to. In most cases, the excess amount is paid to the appointed repairer or supplier.

Is my assessor employed by Tower?

In some cases the assessor is employed directly by Tower. For some claims, we employ an assessing company that acts on Tower's behalf. That's so we can make sure your claim is resolved as soon as possible.

Who will be in touch once I've lodged my claim, and when?

Once your claim is lodged, our team will appoint an assessor, who may be one of our assessing partners.

The assessor will aim to contact you within two business days after that, provide you with their contact details, and then work with you to confirm and assess the damage and the next steps to repair your home.

Who do I call if I have a question about my claim?

For claims managed through an assessing partner:

If your claim is being managed by one of our assessing partners, and your question is about any of the options listed below, please contact your assessor directly on the details provided below:

Assessment of the damage to your house
Scope of work and cost estimate to repair your house
Next steps and timeframes
Any other questions about the assessment or progress of your house repairs

Gallagher Bassett - 0800 858 563

Sedgwick - 0800 800 270

Claims Central - 0800 345 800

For claims managed by Tower directly:

If your claim is managed by Tower directly, if you have any queries about your policy, or if you need to make a claim with Tower on another policy, please contact us here.

How long will it take to settle my claim?

We'll do our utmost to keep you informed about progress on your claim. However, after a natural disaster it may take us, or our assessing partners, a bit longer to respond to your requests.

Each claim is unique and the length of time it takes to resolve claims is dependent on a number of factors.

Your assessor will work with you to provide approximate timeframes and next steps.