Last updated Friday 15/05/2020
I’ve lost my job and can’t afford to meet my monthly repayments; can I cancel my policy or what can I do to make sure I’m still protected?
It’s important right now that our members don’t become uninsured as they’ll be in a worse-off position if anything happens to them. Please call 13 1905 and our team will be in touch about how we can help.
An assessor was due to come out to our home; will they still come out?
Your assessor will call you before attending your home to ask a few questions about your health. If appropriate, we will conduct a virtual assessment to make sure there are no unnecessary delays to your claim.
The builder conducting work on our home has just said they won’t be able to continue as they can’t access supplies anymore. What do we do?
Please contact our team on 13 7202 and they’ll discuss what we can do to help
I want to make a claim, but am worried I won’t be able to pay my excess, what should I do?
RACQ’s teams are here to help and can discuss your circumstances and options available to you. We can assist you by conducting a financial hardship assessment and where appropriate offer 14-day extensions or deferrals of up to 3 months on the payment of your excess . We will work with you individually to determine the best possible outcome. Call us on 13 72 02.
I’m struggling to pay my insurance premium after changes to my personal circumstances due to COVID-19, what is RACQ doing to help me?
RACQ has a range of measures to assist people experiencing financial hardship. If your circumstances has changed due to Covid-19 please call us on 13 1905 to discuss your circumstances and options available to you.
My financial circumstances haven’t changed, but I am driving my car less, how does my premium reflect that?
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we recognized that many people were using their vehicles less. In response, we stopped any increases on our renewing policies and introduced additional reductions to our motor insurance policies. As Queensland’s restrictions have eased, more people are back on the road and using their cars. Because of this, the premium reductions for new policies and renewals has now ceased.
In these uncertain times we want to reassure our members that we are here to help; so, we have introduced our Motor Vehicle Insurance Premium Rebate Promise1. We will be reviewing the performance of our motor vehicle insurance product every six-months to understand any impacts that COVID-19 has had on driving and claims for our members. Our first review will be for the period 1 July 2020 through to 31 December 2020 and our second review from 1 January 2021 through to 30 June 20212. This is a promise to all our motor vehicle insurance policyholders that if we make an unexpected surplus during our review period, we will return any additional premium to our motor policyholders or their communities.
If you have an accident or need to make an insurance claim and are experiencing financial hardship, we are here to help and can discuss options available to you. Please give us a call on 13 1905 for more information.
I’ve recently been made redundant, is there anything else RACQ can offer me?
Yes, RACQ has a range of measures to assist people experiencing financial hardship. Members who have home or contents insurance policies with us can access the additional benefit “Redundancy premium waiver” cover that is a part of your policy. Policyholders who have remained unemployed for up to 3 months after ceasing permanent full-time employment due to redundancy, can get up to 9 months premium back from the time they were made genuinely redundant^. There are some conditions that apply to obtain this waiver or refund. For policies with an effective date on or after 1 August 2020, a general exclusion for ‘Disease’ will apply. This means if you have been made redundant due to the impact of COVID-19 (disease), then you would not be able to make a claim for your redundancy under this extra benefit. This exclusion has been introduced in response to changing and emerging insurance risks that are currently unable to be quantified or priced, and unfortunately, we have not been able to secure protection for this from our own insurers. By making this change to our policy it allows us to continue to offer insurance to our members in a sustainable way.
The ‘Disease’ exclusion can be found in the Supplementary Product Disclosure Statement (SPDS) that is available on the RACQ website. Please read the PDS, applicable SPDS and Key Facts Sheet to ensure you are aware of what you are covered for and any changes.
If you have a current home insurance policy, the most recent SPDS will apply to your cover from renewal.
If you are not sure if you should make an insurance claim, give us a call on 13 7202 and one for our friendly claims staff will be able to assist you.
I can’t return home due to Covid19 impacts, am I still covered if my home is unoccupied?
We understand that not everyone is able to get back home during this time and therefore have extended the usual limits on unoccupancy. If you have your home or contents insured with us and are impacted by Covid19 travel or isolation restrictions, we will extend the usual unoccupancy limit beyond 60 days for you, free of charge. Remember that it is still a good idea to take precautions such as having your mail redirected, organising for your yard to be mowed and having someone, who lives close by, check on your home.
I am now working from home, am I covered for my office equipment?
If you are now working from a home office your contents insurance automatically covers your equipment up to $10K. In addition, if you are using office equipment owned by your employer, we will extend cover for those items if they are damaged or stolen, while we are in this situation. Please check your Household Insurance PDS for details on this coverage. If you are doing other types of work from home, please contact us on 13 1905 to discuss.
I'm using my home for work purposes; how do I get a tax invoice?
Your RACQ Insurance policy document is also a tax invoice. The easiest way for you to get a copy is by logging into your My RACQ profile, type in your email address and password. Once logged in you will be shown all your existing RACQ products and insurance policies with us. Then just click on “View policy document” and this will show your tax invoice for you to print or download. If online isn’t an option for you, please contact us and for a copy of your invoice to be sent to you.
If you don’t have an online RACQ account you can register here. You will need your RACQ membership card number to register.
Are you still covering Landlords for home insurance?
Yes, our Household Insurance policy offers cover for tenanted properties. For policies with an effective date on or after 1 August 2020, a general exclusion for ‘Disease’ will apply. This exclusion is in response to changing and emerging insurance risks that are currently unable to be quantified or priced, and unfortunately, we have not been able to secure protection for this from our own insurers. By making this change to our policy it allows us to continue to offer insurance to our members in a sustainable way.
The ‘Disease’ exclusion can be found in the Supplementary Product Disclosure Statement (SPDS) that is available on the RACQ website. Please read the PDS, applicable SPDS and Key Facts Sheet to ensure you are aware of what you are covered for and any changes.
If you have a current home insurance policy, the most recent SPDS will apply to your cover from renewal.
Does RACQ Household Insurance cover me for loss of rent?
Yes, our Household Insurance policy offers cover for loss of rent on tenanted properties. For policies with an effective date on or after 1 August 2020, a general exclusion for ‘Disease’ will apply. This means if you have a tenanted property insured with us, and your tenant is unable to pay their rent due to impacts from COVID-19, you will not be covered for loss of rent.
This exclusion has been introduced in response to changing and emerging insurance risks that are currently unable to be quantified or priced, and unfortunately, we have not been able to secure protection for this from our own insurers. By making this change to our policy it allows us to continue to offer insurance to our members in a sustainable way.
The ‘Disease’ exclusion can be found in the Supplementary Product Disclosure Statement (SPDS) that is available on the RACQ website. Please read the PDS, applicable SPDS and Key Facts Sheet to ensure you are aware of what you are covered for and any changes.
If you have a current home insurance policy, the most recent SPDS will apply to your cover from renewal.
If you are not sure if you should make an insurance claim, give us a call on 13 7202 and one for our friendly claims staff will be able to assist you.
Does RACQ Household Insurance cover me if I am made redundant?
If you have home or contents insurance with us, we have a “Redundancy premium waiver” cover that is a part of your policy. Policyholders who have remained unemployed for up to 3 months after ceasing permanent full-time employment due to redundancy, can get up to 9 months premium back from the time they were made genuinely redundant^. There are some conditions that apply to obtain this waiver or refund.
For policies with an effective date on or after 1 August 2020, a general exclusion for ‘Disease’ will apply. This means if you have been made redundant due to the impact of COVID-19 (a disease), then you would not be able to make a claim for your redundancy under this extra benefit. This exclusion has been introduced in response to changing and emerging insurance risks that are currently unable to be quantified or priced, and unfortunately, we have not been able to secure protection for this from our own insurers. By making this change to our policy it allows us to continue to offer insurance to our members in a sustainable way.
The ‘Disease’ exclusion can be found in the Supplementary Product Disclosure Statement (SPDS) that is available on the RACQ website. Please read the PDS, applicable SPDS and Key Facts Sheet to ensure you are aware of what you are covered for and any changes.
If you have a current home insurance policy, the most recent SPDS will apply to your cover from renewal.
If you are not sure if you should make an insurance claim, give us a call on 13 7202 and one for our friendly claims staff will be able to assist you.
Is there an exclusion for pandemics or disease in my General Insurance policies?
All Household, Motor Vehicle, Boat & Body Corporate Insurance policies, issued after 1 August 2020, will contain an exclusion for ‘Disease’. The ‘Disease’ exclusion provides that you are not covered under your policy for loss or damage or legal liability which is caused by or arises in connection with -
Any disease, or fear or threat of any disease, that can be transmitted between living things:
- by any substance or agent, including any virus, bacteria, parasite, or other organism, and
- by any method, including by air or bodily fluid, or from or to any thing, whether solid object, liquid, or gas.
This exclusion has been introduced in response to changing and emerging insurance risks that are currently unable to be quantified or priced, and unfortunately, we have not been able to secure protection for this from our own insurers. By making this change to our policy it allows us to continue to offer insurance to our members in a sustainable way.
Please read the PDS, applicable SPDS and Key Facts Sheet to ensure you are aware of what you are covered for and any changes.
If you have a current insurance policy, the most recent SPDS will apply to your cover from renewal.
What impact has Covid-19 had on my General Insurance policies with RACQ?
For most circumstances that will result in a claim COVID-19 will not have an impact. In some limited circumstances for Household, Motor Vehicle, Boat & Body Corporate Insurance policies, issued after 1 August 2020, an exclusion for ‘Disease’ will apply. The ‘Disease’ exclusion can be found in your SPDS. The ‘Disease’ exclusion may have some impact on your claim.
This exclusion has been introduced in response to changing and emerging insurance risks that are currently unable to be quantified or priced, and unfortunately, we have not been able to secure protection for this from our own insurers. By making this change to our policy it allows us to continue to offer insurance to our members in a sustainable way.
Please read the PDS, applicable SPDS and Key Facts Sheet to ensure you are aware of what you are covered for and any changes.
If you have a current insurance policy, the most recent SPDS will apply to your cover from renewal.
How might the General Exclusion for pandemics and disease impact my Motor Insurance policy?
For most circumstances that might result in a claim this general exclusion is expected to have minimal impact. Some examples of how you would not be able to claim on your motor policy are:
- You have a passenger in your vehicle who is later confirmed as having a disease e.g. Coronavirus. You want to have your vehicle cleaned to insure it is not contaminated. You are not able to claim for this cleaning.
- Your vehicle is parked at a hospital that goes into lock down due to a pandemic spread, you are not able to claim for a hire car while your vehicle is unable to be driven.
- You have had a passenger in your vehicle, and it is later confirmed that you have had the Coronavirus. Your passenger also then contracts the virus from being in the car with you. The passenger is not able to claim under the Section of ‘Third Party Liability Cover’.
How might the General Exclusion for pandemics and disease impact my Boat Insurance policy?
For most circumstances that might result in a claim this general exclusion is expected to have minimal impact. Some examples of how you would not be able to claim on your boat policy are:
- You have a passenger in your boat who is later confirmed as having a disease e.g. Coronavirus. You want to have your boat cleaned to insure it is not contaminated. You are not able to claim for this cleaning.
- You hit a third party’s boat and during the incident you contracted Coronavirus from the other person and will now have to go into mandatory hotel quarantine. You are not able to claim under the Section ‘Temporary accommodation’.
- You have had a passenger in your boat, and it is later confirmed that you have had the Coronavirus. Your passenger also then contracts the virus from being in the boat with you. The passenger is not able to claim under the Section of ‘Third Party Liability Cover’.