Category: House & Home
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Sub category: Insure
10 January 2018

Covering yourself for those big life moments

Think about where you are in your life. Chances are your lifestyle has changed a lot in the last 5-10 years, and it probably will again. The point is, you’re always growing, and your home and contents insurance should adapt with you. As you move into new stages of life, you should be thinking about adjusting your cover to suit your needs.

Life is like one big game of Tetris, we’re always adding and removing things as we go. There’s a tonne of ways you can customise home and contents coverage to suit your lifestyle. Take a look at the below and see if it applies to you.

They grow up so fast: First time renting

Renting for the first time is a strange sensation. All of a sudden, you’re an adult. First on the agenda? Meet new flat mates, buy new clothes and a laptop for uni or your first real job, learn to cook and do laundry for yourself. But most of all, you finally have the freedom from your parents you’ve been looking forward to (with a weekly call to let them know how it’s going of course.) You want to enjoy the first time out of home for all it’s worth, so even though you don’t own the property, it’s important to cover your belongings – things like furniture, electrical appliances, and clothing. Don’t forget to keep receipts of your items for proof of ownership.

When you’re studying or just getting your foot in the door for your career, it’s helpful to find ways to save. You can reduce your premium (the amount you pay for the policy) by increasing your excess – the amount you have to pay if you make a claim on your policy, which is usually deducted out of the sum that is given to you upon claiming.

#SmashedAvo: Stepping into the property market

After some good years in the share house life, you’ve matured like the fine wines you might now enjoy. Not only that, but you’ve been killing it with your savings and at last bought that crowning jewel of adulthood – your own property. Now you’ll need to throw a housewarming party, read some blogs on interior design and brush up on your repair skills.

It’s also a good time to add in some home insurance. You can choose between total replacement, which covers your home up to its worth before the damage, and sum-insured, which covers up to a set amount that you select. Total replacement takes time to receive funds because the insurer needs to determine the value. With sum-insured there is higher chance of underinsurance, but your claim can generally be settled once the insurer has confirmed your loss.

Check out optional cover options depending on your location and lifestyle. If you live near a lake or river you might want flood cover. You can add landlord cover if you have an investment property, in case your tenant defaults on their rental payments.

Baby steps: Starting a family

Your parents have been hounding you for grandkids for a while now and you’ve given in. Now Sundays aren’t for sleeping in, they’re for family breakfast. Christmas becomes exciting all over again as you celebrate with your new family. You’ll need a family dog. For security purposes, of course. With kids there’s potential for more accidents – that’s where accidental damage becomes a good addition.

If you need, try unspecified or specified personal effects cover. Unspecified covers standard items that aren’t a part of the usual cover like baby seats, children’s toys, furs and musical instruments. Specified covers items near and dear to you, like a wedding ring, family heirloom or an artwork.

The fun starts now: Getting the nest all to yourself

Your kids have all grown up and moved out. But focus on the positive – you have the house to yourself, again! Now’s the time to think about hobbies (maybe it’s time to learn a second language?) and get travelling.

Think about rolling back some coverage to save up. Maybe you don’t need accidental cover anymore or you no longer have those specified contents. It’s also important to tell your provider about any big trips. After your house is unoccupied for 60 consecutive days, coverage can stop if you don’t let them know. Maybe you’ve finally started that stamp collection, so double check if your insurer needs you to declare collections as a separate item.

Just like your interests and situation changes as you go through different stages of life, so do your insurance needs. To find out how you can customise insurance to suit your lifestyle, get a quick and easy online quote at https://www.ing.com.au/insurance.html

Find out all you need to know about ING's Insurance.

ING Home and Contents Insurance is issued by Auto & General Insurance Company Ltd ABN 42 111 586 353 AFSL 285571 as insurer. It is distributed by Auto & General Services Pty Ltd ABN 61 003 617 909 AFSL 241411 (AGS) and by ING Bank (Australia) Ltd ABN 24 000 893 292 as Authorised Representative 1247634 of AGS. ING is a business name of ING Bank (Australia) Ltd (ING).

ING will receive a commission from AGS for each policy purchased which is a percentage of the premium. For further details see the Financial Services Guide.

An ING Insurance policy issued does not represent a deposit with or liability of, and is not guaranteed or otherwise supported by, ING or its related bodies corporate.

ING Home & Contents Insurance is subject to AGS ‘ underwriting criteria and ING’s Customer Eligibility and Name-Screening Assessment. Home & Contents Insurance is not available in NT, North QLD or Northern WA.

Information in this article is general information only, and does not take into account your particular objectives, financial situation or needs and you should consider whether it is appropriate for you having regard to these factors before acting on it. Conditions, limits/sub-limits, waiting periods, exclusions and excesses apply.  Read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement, Target Market Determination, Key Fact Sheets, Financial Services Guide and the ING Customer Eligibility and Name-Screening document and consider if an ING Home & Contents Insurance product is right for you before deciding to purchase or continue to hold the product.

The price we quote is at the insurer’s sole and unrestricted discretion. It is based on the profile of the risk to be covered and any other factors the insurer may choose. These factors may change at any time without notice, as may the prices. If the policy renews, the price may exceed the price paid for the previous policy. Premiums are subject to change. You will be responsible for all applicable GST and other statutory charges.

The information is current as at publication. Any advice on this website does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and you should consider whether it is appropriate for you. Deposit products, savings products, credit card and home loan products are issued by ING, a business name of ING Bank (Australia) Limited ABN 24 000 893 292, AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 229823. Living Super, a sub-plan of OneSuper ABN 43 905 581 638 is issued by Diversa Trustees Limited ABN 49 006 421 638, AFSL 235153 RSE L0000635. The insurance cover offered by Living Super is provided by Metlife Insurance Limited ABN 75 004 274 882, AFSL 238096. ING Insurance is issued by Auto & General Insurance Company Limited (AGIC) ABN 42 111 586 353 AFSL Licence No 285571 as insurer. It is distributed by Auto & General Services Pty Ltd (AGS) ABN 61 003 617 909 AFSL 241411 and by ING as an Authorised Representative AR 1247634 of AGS. All applications for credit are subject to ING's credit approval criteria, and fees and charges apply. You should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement, Terms and Conditions, Fees and Limits Schedule, Financial Services Guide, Key Facts Sheet and Credit Guide available at ing.com.au when deciding whether to acquire, or to continue to hold, a product. Before interacting with us via our social media platforms, please take a minute to familiarise yourself with our Social Media User Terms https://www.ing.com.au/pdf/Social_Media_User_Terms.pdf.

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