If you are about to carry out renovations on your house, take the time to talk to your insurer about just what is and isn’t covered when doing a renovation.

Many home and contents policies do not cover the existing property if it is being renovated, especially if you vacate the property for a long period. Most often the builder will not have insurance for the existing property and contents. This means that if for  example your home is damaged by bushfire while being renovated you may not be covered.

Either speak with your insurer and make sure you are covered or extend the cover.

You could also ask your builder to add the cover to their insurance and the cost to their price.

If the builder adds it to their insurance ask for confirmation from their broker/insurer.

This Compare the Market web page has a few more tips on insurance and renovating generally.