What can void home insurance?
If you’re taking out a home insurance policy, you may be wondering what can void home insurance? Here are nine things that could potentially void your policy.

If you’re taking out a home insurance policy, you may be wondering what can void home insurance? Here are nine things that could potentially void your policy.
KEY POINTS
- Forgetting to pay your home insurance premiums may result in your claims being rejected and your policy being cancelled.
- Keeping your home well maintained, including making necessary repairs, can be a good idea, especially when it comes time to make a claim.
- Providing false information to your insurer will more than likely void your policy.
Home insurance can provide you with some peace of mind in knowing that you’re financially protected if something were to happen to your property. Home insurance may also be a requirement of your home loan, as specified by your lender. For these reasons, it’s important to be aware of actions or oversights that could potentially void your cover, leading to your claims being rejected and leaving you with out-of-pocket costs. Here’s a list of nine things to consider.
What can void home insurance? Nine mistakes to avoid
These nine things could see your home insurance policy lapse or be voided, so be sure to keep them in mind.
1. Forgetting to pay your premiums
It may sound obvious: If you don’t pay your premium when it’s due, you won’t be covered. In our busy lives it’s easy to put bills on the backburner and forget about them altogether.
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) warns that if you don’t pay the premium, your cover may be cancelled. The insurance provider may offer a grace period, but the ICA explains that your insurer can refuse to pay a claim if the premium is 14 days or more overdue. If you’re a month behind with the payment, your policy can be cancelled without notice.
The point is to stay on top of your home insurance premiums when it comes time to pay them, or risk voiding your cover. You may find it helpful to note down when your premiums are due and program the date into your calendar as a reminder. This may also help you to budget for them.
2. Leaving your home unoccupied
If you’re planning an extended vacation, it’s worth letting your insurance provider know, as leaving your home vacant for an extended period of time can potentially void your home insurance. The timespan you can leave your home empty for can vary between insurers.
In general though, if your home is unoccupied for more than 60 days you may not be covered. You could consider engaging the services of a professional house sitter or a family member or friend and have them stay at your home while you are away. If you nominate a house sitter to live in your home for at least two consecutive nights, some providers will not consider your home to be ‘unoccupied’, which could help you avoid paying additional excess in the event of a claim or stop your cover from being voided. Check your policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) or contact your provider directly for more details.
3. Your home isn’t well maintained
Your home is likely to be your most valuable asset, so it makes sense to keep it in great shape. Regular maintenance is also a must-do from an insurance perspective. Claims relating to a poorly maintained property have the potential to be knocked back. Issues like allowing debris to build up in your gutters, trees and branches to encroach on your home or failure to maintain smoke detectors could void your claims and/or policy.
4. Putting off repairs
Another reason to stay on top of maintenance, is that if you haven’t repaired any old or existing damage to your home, your claim can be reduced or voided—especially if it contributed to the damage you’re making a claim for.
5. You can’t provide proof when it comes time to make a claim
If your home is robbed, insurers ideally like to see receipts that prove you owned an item you’re making a contents insurance claim for, such as jewellery, electronics and other valuable items—as well as their associated value. If the receipts are long gone, you may have a digital copy that was emailed to you at the time of purchase, otherwise your insurance provider may accept other forms of evidence such as bank or credit card statements showing proof of purchase.
6. You don’t lock your home
When we’re in a rush, it can sometimes be easy to forget to completely lock up the house. This is different from consistently leaving your home unlocked—something that can void your home insurance policy. It reflects the way that insurers want you to play a part in ‘taking reasonable care’ to protect your property, as it helps you both to better manage the risks associated with insurance.
7. You didn’t contact the police
Arriving home to find your place has been robbed or there’s been an attempted break in, can be traumatic. Even so, you should contact your local police as soon as possible, to let them know what’s happened and to make a report. Your insurance provider is likely to request a copy of a police report as a condition of paying out your claim.
8. Faulty design and poor workmanship
Faulty design and workmanship can potentially void your home insurance cover. Come claim time, your insurance provider could take a dim view of that leaning pergola you knocked up with a few mates or the bathroom drainage issues that existed before you bought the property. It’s also a reminder of why a pre-purchase building inspection, as well as hiring suitable qualified tradespeople (who often carry their own insurance), can be a good idea.
9. You falsified your policy details
If there’s one thing that’s almost certain to void any insurance coverage it’s being less than truthful when you take out a policy. Providing false information or leaving out details in an attempt to lower your premiums is a bad idea, as it’s likely to void your home insurance policy altogether. The bottom line is that honesty pays when it comes to insurance.
How to be sure you won’t void your cover
To know exactly what could void home insurance, it can be a good idea to read your policy documents, such as the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). If you’re still unsure, get in touch with your insurance provider directly. There may also be a list of home insurance exclusions that are worth noting, as claims will often be denied in relation to these exclusions.
If you are dissatisfied with your current home insurance provider and are looking to make a switch, you may like to compare home insurance policies with Canstar.
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Cover image source: Grusho Anna/Shutterstock.com
This article was reviewed by our Finance Editor Jessica Pridmore before it was updated, as part of our fact-checking process.

Alasdair Duncan is Canstar's Content Editor, specialising in home loans, property and lifestyle topics. He has written more than 500 articles for Canstar and his work is widely referenced by other publishers and media outlets, including Yahoo Finance, The New Daily, The Motley Fool and Sky News. He has featured as a guest author for property website homely.com.au.
In his more than 15 years working in the media, Alasdair has written for a broad range of publications. Before joining Canstar, he was a News Editor at Pedestrian.TV, part of Australia’s leading youth media group. His work has also appeared on ABC News, Junkee, Rolling Stone, Kotaku, the Sydney Star Observer and The Brag. He has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Journalism from the University of Queensland.
When he is not writing about finance for Canstar, Alasdair can probably be found at the beach with his two dogs or listening to podcasts about pop music. You can follow Alasdair on LinkedIn.
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