Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance

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Updated 02/09/2024
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Written by

Liv Steigrad

Updated 02/09/2024

What changed?

Awards updated for 2024
Our aim is to help you make better informed decisions. That’s why iSelect’s content is produced in accordance with our fact-checking and editorial guidelines.

Find out more about how we make money.

View our Privacy Policy.

Who is Budget Direct?

Budget Direct has been on the insurance scene since 2000.1Budget Direct – Our Company In that time, they’ve ​taken ​​​​​home Money magazine’s Insurer of the Year ten times, including an impressive eight years in a row from 2017 to 2024.2Budget Direct – Our Awards

Not one to rest on their laurels, Budget Direct also further impressed Money magazine and won the ​Best of the Best ​​​​​award for Best-Value Home and Contents Insurance from 2017 to 2020 and again from 2022 to 2024.3As above Impressive!

Why consider Budget Direct?

So what has Budget Direct got that keeps them ​winning​​ ​awards?  Well, Budget Direct offers:

What types of Home and Contents Insurance does Budget Direct offer?

There’s no place like home and no two homes are the same. Luckily, Budget Direct has customisable Insurance Policies to better suit your home and lifestyle. You can start with any of these four bases, then add additional ​optional ​cover​s​.

  • Home Insurance
    Also known as Building Insurance, this could help protect your home from events such as storms, fire and theft. This generally includes cover for repairs, rebuilds and temporary accommodation.
  • Contents Insurance
    This helps cover​ most​ items inside your home including your furniture, electronics and other valuables. Budget Direct offers new-for-old replacements for your contents if they’re irreparably damaged during an insured event, subject to the terms, conditions and limits of your policy.9Budget Direct – Home and Contents Insurance
  • Home and Contents
    Keep things simple with one policy to cover both your home and contents.
  • Landlord Insurance
    If you have an investment property, this acts similarly to Home Insurance if loss or damage occur​s​.

Which events do Budget Direct’s Home and Contents Policies cover?

Whether it’s a burst pipe in the middle of the night or someone ​breaking in​​​​​, these ​kinds​ of unwanted events are unfortunately something we need to think about. While you can’t stop every disaster from happening, appropriate insurance can help make it that much easier to get back on track.

Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance helps cover your house and personal possessions in case of loss or damage caused by the following events:10As above

  • Storm and rainwater (excluding flood)
  • Fire
  • Lightning
  • Theft (including attempted theft)
  • Escape of liquid (like a burst pipe)
  • Impact at home (like a fallen tree)
  • Breakage of glass, ceramic and sanitary fixtures
  • Malicious damage, vandalism, riot or civil commotion
  • Explosions
  • Earthquake or tsunami

​​You could also customise your Budget Direct Insurance Policy with optional cover available for (eligibility criteria may apply):11As above

  • ​​​Flood cover​​​​​​​ ​​
  • Personal effects (for items that you take out of your home with you, like laptops or jewellery)
  • Motor burnout (like for your fridge)
  • Commercial storage, if you store your items in a storage facility
  • Accidental damage
  • Sum Insured Safeguard, which increases your Home Insurance sum by up to 25% if the cost to repair, replace or rebuild your home is more than you’re insured for

What are the benefits of insuring your home and contents with Budget Direct?

Insuring your home and contents with Budget Direct also comes with some benefits above and beyond the policy itself. For instance, they have their own rewards platform, which is free for customers with two or more Insurance Policies. It provides discounts for a range of exciting options, including dining and takeaway, travel and leisure activities, and gift cards.12Budget Direct – Budget Direct Rewards

How do excesses work with Budget Direct?

When you sign up for a policy with Budget Direct, you’ll be asked to nominate an excess between $100 and $5,000.13Budget Direct – Home insurance excesses ​​​​​C​hoose a higher excess and lower premiums, or a lower excess and higher premiums.14As above

How do I make a claim with Budget Direct?

When it’s time to make a claim, Budget Direct has a simple process. After all, who needs to be dealing with endless phone calls and paperwork while they’re trying to get things back to normal?

Step 1: Check your cover

​​Before you lodge a claim, you can review your cover to see what’s included, however if you’re in any doubt as to whether your loss or damage is covered, you can still lodge a claim and it will be assessed accordingly.

Step 2: Have your info close to hand

To help your claim progress swiftly, Budget Direct needs to know the details of what happened, including the time, date and location, and any photos of the damage. If you have one, include the police report too.15Budget Direct – The Claims Process It can be a good idea to have all of these documents and information ready to go when you start your claim.

Depending on your claim, you can also lodge any other damage reports or proof of ownership now. However, if you haven’t got them yet, you could still get your claim started. You can add this information to the claim later as needed.16As above

Step 3: ​Lodge ​your claim

​​Once you’ve collected all of the relevant information, your next step is to decide how you want to make a claim. You can choose between notifying Budget Direct of your claim online, or calling so that one of Budget Direct’s friendly team members can assist you. Rest assured whether you choose to claim online or over the phone, you’ll be able to start your claim 24/7.​​​​​

With your claim in Budget Direct’s court, they’ll start assessing. This may include reaching out to you for more information or having someone come to assess the damage​.​ O​​nce they have all the relevant information they’ll make a decision within 10 working days unless you hear otherwise or ​​there’s​​ special circumstances17​​As above so you won’t be left hanging either way.

​Once a decision has been made, if the claim has been accepted Budget Direct will repair, replace or pay you cash for your insured damages or losses up to the sum insured.18As above

What payment options does Budget Direct offer?

​​Using direct debit, credit card or debit card, you can choose to pay your Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance premium fortnightly, monthly or yearly. Each has their own benefits but annually works out the cheapest​ as there will be no instalment fees​.19Budget Direct – Paying for home insurance

Where can I compare Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance?

If your existing Home and Contents Insurance (or lack of) is leaving you feeling less than content, iSelect can help. You can use our handy online comparison tool or speak to our friendly team on 13 19 20 to learn about a range of Budget Direct Home and Contents Insurance options, as well as policies from other providers.

Get started on comparing home and contents today!

Save time and effort by comparing a range of home and contents insurance policies with iSelect

iSelect does not compare all home and contents insurers or policies in the market. The availability of policies may change from time to time. Not all policies available from iSelect’s providers are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements, area or availability, not all policies compared by iSelect will be available to all customers. Some policies are only available from iSelect’s call centre or website. A number of our participating general insurance brands are arranged by Auto & General Services Pty Ltd ACN 003 617 909 on behalf of Auto & General Insurance Company Limited 111 586 353, both of which are related entities of iSelect Limited. Our relationship with those companies does not impact the integrity of our comparison service. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers.

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