Home and Contents Insurance Broker
Could we help you find a better option for your home and contents cover?
If you haven’t looked at your insurance in a while, our home and contents broker service can help you review your options.
It's not just about price - we dive in to look into your particular needs. Finding the right cover for you can mean fewer surprises when you need to claim.
An insurance review may help if...
- You’re moving home, or your life or family circumstances have changed
- You haven’t reviewed your home insurance in more than two years
- You're unsure if you’re under-insured or over-insured
- Your property has a higher risk of events such as flood or bushfire
- You own a unique or high-value property
- You have valuable contents that require higher cover limits or specialised cover
- You've found it difficult to obtain insurance in the past
Our broker service can also assist with landlord, motor, strata, and a variety of commercial insurances.
Benefits of using a home insurance broker
A broker can be worth considering if you'd like help comparing your options. Our home insurance broker service can access policies from insurers you can't buy from directly, which may have different features, limits and inclusions to a direct policy. They can give you a detailed overview of what a policy does and doesn't cover, and save you time by comparing multiple policies on your behalf.
A broker can also act as your long-term advocate, helping you manage policy renewals and assisting with any future claims by dealing with your insurer directly if the unfortunate happens. You can also expect help with handling paperwork, as well as ensuring your coverage still aligns with your needs if your circumstances change.
How it works
You will be guided by our home insurance broker through three steps to help you explore your home and contents insurance options
Book a review
Book a review at a time that suits you, by phone or video chat with our specialist. These reviews typically take between 10 and 45 minutes.
Chat with our broker
We’ll keep things simple; our insurance broker will ask questions to understand your needs and provide guidance.
Review your options
Your broker provides a summary of your requirements, as well as personalised insights to help choose a policy or arrange insurance where possible, with final pricing emailed directly to your inbox.
Meet Canstar’s Home and Contents Insurance Specialist
With 30 years of experience in the insurance industry across Australia and New Zealand, Phillippa is well equipped to help you find the right policy. She’s been assisting clients with their insurance coverage as a broker for many years, drawing on extensive knowledge gained from working in general insurance, assessing, underwriting, and the claims process.
Phillippa has a Diploma of Insurance Broking and Diploma in Financial Services L4 General Insurance, as well as being a Senior Associate in the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF)’s CIP program and a Qualified Practising Insurance Broker as part of the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA).
FAQs about Canstar's home and contents insurance service
A home insurance broker is a licensed professional who can help you find home and contents insurance that suits your personal situation and financial needs. Rather than offering policies from a single insurer, brokers can recommend and arrange cover from a variety of insurers on their panel, helping you better understand the differences between policies when you’re comparing.
Whether you want to insure your first home, an investment property, or something more complex, a broker can explain things like policy features, exclusions, and optional extras, meaning you can make an informed decision.
Home insurance brokers can often help you find policies for a variety of different insurances, such as:
- Combined home and contents insurance
- Home building insurance
- Contents insurance, including for portable or high-valued items
- Landlord insurance
- Strata insurance
- Insurance for unoccupied or vacant properties
- Insurance for commercial-related property
Home insurance policies can vary significantly between insurers. From what's covered through to the type of benefits and policy limits, exclusions, and optional extras, comparing policies isn't always straightforward. This is where a home insurance broker can help you find a policy that best suits your cover needs by:
- Discussing your property and insurance needs
- Helping you understand policy features in plain English as well as what’s included and excluded
- Comparing suitable policies from insurers, based on your needs
- Arranging cover if you choose to proceed
Whether you should use a home insurance broker depends on your circumstances. Some people choose to buy directly from a provider, particularly if the insurance required is relatively straightforward.
A broker is worth considering if you'd like expert guidance or your insurance needs are more complex. For example, a broker can help if you've struggled to find suitable insurance, or you own a unique property that’s been built using non-standard building materials or is heritage-listed.
Regardless of whether you choose to buy directly or through a broker, it's important to select cover that's appropriate for your needs and gives you confidence that your home and belongings are adequately protected.
Buying home insurance directly from a provider may suit you if you're comfortable comparing home insurance policies yourself, are handy with a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), and your insurance needs are relatively straightforward. Alternatively, using a home insurance broker may be worth considering if you'd like additional guidance or have more complex insurance needs. Ultimately, it comes down to your personal preference.
Canstar receives a portion of the commissions paid by the insurance company when the broker arranges a policy on behalf of a customer. This is after our partner CBN retains its portion for the tools, system and support it provides us. This amount is typically built into the overall cost of a policy.
CGU, Allianz, Castle (underwritten by QBE), Hollard, and Blue Zebra.
Yes, cooling off periods apply. However, they vary per insurer, so you’ll need to refer to the relevant PDS.
Quotes can be emailed to you for your consideration and are valid for 30 days.
We don’t connect you with policies from the direct market, but we can assist in navigating the complexities of an insurance policy.
When we are advising and dealing in General Insurance Products we are acting as: CANSTAR Pty Ltd (AR 443019 | CR 538715 | ABN 21 053 646 165) Corporate Authorised representative of Community Broker Network Pty Ltd | AFSL 233750 | ACN 096 916 184
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For those that love the detail
This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.