There’s no doubt the holiday season will be different for many of us this year. But one constant is the threat of extreme weather, which can cause disruptions over the festive period. Please be assured we’re here to support you and your customers should a weather event or catastrophe hit.
Weather outlook for October to April – what to expect
The Bureau of Meteorology has published its latest climate outlook, including an overview of their long-range forecast.
Explore our Q Risk Insights Catastrophe hub for our detailed extreme weather preparation guides to support your customers.
We’re here to support you
We’re hoping that you all have a happy and safe festive period, however, if an extreme weather event does hit during this time, our team will be here to support you and your customers.
We’ll be in touch with any relevant CAT Code or information you need to know, and please see below for a reminder of our claims procedures and how to access these over the holiday period.
As a reminder, if your customers do have an urgent need for ‘make safe’ repairs, temporary accommodation or emergency cash payments, please contact us straight away.
Lodging a claim
To ensure your claim is processed smoothly, please make sure all required information is included. You can find more details for each product on our claims page.
All claims
| Issue | Action |
|---|---|
| Claims contacts |
Motor, Farm, Business Pack and Corporate Property claims can be lodged via:
Please ensure the "Date of Loss" (DOL) refects the day the damage occured, while the "Time of Loss" reflects the time it occurred. If Time of Loss is unknown at lodgement, it can be provided following QBE's acknowledgement email. Please send all correspondence, including new claims not lodged through ClaimWrite, to [email protected] or [email protected] . Be sure to include the CAT Code and type of weather event in the subject line. Claims forms are NOT required. For new claims please include:
If you need additional advice or support before a claims office has been assigned, please contact your Claims Relationship Manager. Once assigned, please direct any queries to the claims office managing the claim. |
Motor claims
| Issue | Action |
|---|---|
| Assessors |
We have dedicated motor assessors ready to assist and adjust claims as access to the affected areas becomes available. For all motor claims requiring assessment choose the Internal Motor Assessor option. Our adjusting and assessing staff will be in contact within 2 business days of appointment where required. |
| Motor vehicle glass |
Safety should be the main priority – please dissuade anyone from driving a vehicle that may not be safe. Windscreen and motor glass claims can be lodged directly by you or your client with: O’Brien |
Property claims
| Issue | Action |
|---|---|
| Assessors |
We have dedicated property loss adjusters ready to assist and adjust claims as access to the affected areas becomes available. If the customer's property is uninhabitable, please immediately appoint QBE's nominated External Loss Adjustment firm: Sedgwick Our adjusting and assessing staff will be in contact as soon as possible following their appointment where required. |
| Customers experiencing vulnerability | We appreciate that any claim can be challenging for a customer, however in the case of Catastrophe some vulnerabilities will need added or urgent assistance such as people with disabilities or illnesses. Please make us aware of any specific vulnerability a customer is experiencing when lodging the claim and any associated priority needed to support that person(s). |
| Emergency assistance payments | Immediate assistance can be provided to customers by electronic funds transfer (EFT) subject to the relevant policy coverage and loss type. To request emergency assistance payments, please contact the QBE claims team: 1800 023 387. |
| Temporary accommodation | Subject to the relevant policy coverage and loss type, QBE can assist in arranging and approving emergency temporary accommodation through our claims team or loss adjuster team. |
| Domestic and commercial glass |
For any home or commercial property glass claims, you or your clients can contact Express Glass or O’Brien directly and will only need to provide a QBE policy number to initiate a claim. When speaking to clients it may be prudent to ensure their policy is active and advise any applicable excess will need to be paid directly to Express or O’Brien during repairs. Express and O’Brien can be selected from the drop-down menu when lodging in ClaimWrite: Express Glass O’Brien |
| QBE panel builders and make-safe repairs | We have builders around the country ready to assist who have authority for make-safe repairs in order to expedite the protection of the property. Please contact our claims team or the appointed adjuster to discuss which builder to utilise. |
| Restoration assistance | Our restoration partners are ready to provide emergency works to help minimise the damage to your customer's property. Where restoration services are required, QBE will appoint an appropriate restoration partner, so please contact our claims team or the appointed adjuster before arranging restoration services. |
| Trees down |
QBE’s policies generally provide cover to remove trees when they’re impacting buildings or contents, or if we need to remove them to fix damage to the home. When cover is available, our panel builders/assessors will arrange make-safe or tree lopping services. General debris clean up in yards is normally not insured. |
| Food spoilage | Food spoilage claims can be lodged and managed in ClaimWrite. As customers safely dispose of any spoiled food, they should take photos or keep an inventory and price list and submit that for settlement. |
| Power generators | If the property has been cut off from power because of the catatrophe event and would otherwise safe to stay there; purchase or hire of a generator are options we normally accept. Our claims team or assessor team can review your request and explain the process to make this happen. |
| Pool damage | If a pool filter, pump or chlorinator is damaged and this results in the pool requiring cleaning, we will generally cover the reasonable cost of cleaning the pool surfaces and, where necessary, cleaning or replacing the pool water. If there is no insured damage to the pool equipment or property, these costs are generally not covered. |
| Asbestos |
Our adjusters and trade panel have been briefed on this issue to align with the relevant authorities’ management instructions. Safety is of paramount importance when dealing with possible asbestos. All affected customers should follow the directions of emergency services and other government agencies when dealing with this issue. If there is any doubt as to the presence of disturbed asbestos, customers should leave the affected area (if possible, restrict access to it by others) and promptly seek the advice of QBE or the adjuster if they have been appointed. |
Current warnings
For the latest information on unfolding weather conditions around Australia, please listen to local radio and monitor information from the below sources.
Bureau of Meteorology
| New South Wales | Victoria |
|
NSW Government Emergency Services NSW Rural Fire Services (RFS) Fire and Rescue New South Wales New South Wales State Emergency Service (SES) New South Wales Police Force |
VIC Government Emergency Services Country Fire Authority (CFA) Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) |
| Queensland | South Australia |
|
Queensland Government Emergency Services QLD Rural Fire Service QLD Fire Department Queensland State Emergency Service (SES) |
South Australia Government Emergency Services South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service South Australian State Emergency Service (SES) South Australia Police Force |
| Western Australia | Tasmania |
|
Western Australia Government Emergency Services Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia (DFES) Western Australia Police Force |
Tasmania Government Emergency Services Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) Tasmania State Emergency Service (SES) |
| Northern Territory | Australian Capital Territory |
|
Northern Territory Government Emergency Services NT Fire and Rescue Service NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services Northern Territory State Emergency Service (SES) |
ACT Government Emergency Services ACT Rural Fire Service ACT Fire & Rescue ACT State Emergency Services (SES) |
On behalf of all the team at QBE, we’d like to thank you all for your valued support over the year and we wish you and your families a happy, and safe, Christmas and New Year.