A plumber, electrician and builder attending your damaged home may be carrying out different temporary safety tasks. Their arrival does not, by itself, establish that the insurer has accepted the whole claim or authorised permanent repairs. Before non-emergency work begins, reconcile each person’s role, instructions and proposed work with your existing claim.
This is general information for Australian readers, not personal financial advice. Cover, consent requirements, excesses and settlement depend on your policy, Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), circumstances and the insurer’s assessment. Never delay urgent safety assistance to complete insurance paperwork.
Understand what the first attendance is for
In its home-claims instructions, Suncorp describes urgent temporary repairs as make-safe work to protect the home and prevent further damage. It explains that multiple trades may attend, including a builder, plumber, electrician or arborist. These are that insurer’s published procedures, not a promise about another insurer’s suppliers or response times.
A temporary measure and a finished repair solve different problems. Stopping an immediate water hazard does not necessarily include replacing damaged cabinetry, restoring a ceiling or investigating every concealed defect. Ask the attending person to explain the intended temporary outcome and anything that remains unsafe. Do not investigate electrical, structural or contaminated areas yourself.
Confirm who sent each trade and why
Keep one attendance record under the original claim reference. Before giving access where it is safe to check, record the business name, attending person’s role and the work they say they were asked to do. Confirm an unexpected visit through the insurer’s independently obtained contact details, rather than relying only on an unsolicited message.
- Was this supplier arranged by the insurer, another supplier or you?
- Is this an inspection, emergency safety work or an approved permanent repair?
- Which rooms, systems or damaged items are within the instructions?
- Who should be contacted if the trade finds a different hazard?
- Are any customer-paid additions proposed, and who will authorise them?
Identification checks are separate from agreeing to a price or signing a work order. Read what you are being asked to approve. If an agreement combines temporary work with optional upgrades, ask for those parts to be separated and explained before accepting non-urgent obligations.
Use a handover sheet rather than assuming one visit covers everything
Consider a hypothetical storm claim. A roofer places a temporary covering, an electrician isolates an affected circuit and a builder inspects a wet ceiling. Record three separate tasks, not one entry saying the house is repaired. Ask who will monitor the temporary covering, who can confirm whether the circuit may be used, and who will communicate the ceiling assessment.
For each visit, note the date, work actually completed, any limitations stated by the trade, outstanding hazards and the next contact. Keep written instructions and job sheets. Photograph accessible damage only when safe; a photograph does not replace a professional safety assessment. Do not restore an isolated service merely because another trade has finished elsewhere.
Keep temporary work separate from the permanent repair decision
Ask your claim contact for the current authorised scope and the process for requesting additional work. A trade recommending replacement is not the same as the insurer approving that replacement. Likewise, a job sheet showing attendance is not a coverage decision or reimbursement approval.
Suncorp’s instructions say not to undertake repairs without consent, except in the stated emergency circumstances when contact is not possible and protective or health-and-safety work is necessary. They also request damage photographs and itemised invoices for emergency work so it can be assessed. Check your own policy and insurer’s directions rather than generalising that exception to elective improvements.
If further damage becomes apparent, distinguish documenting it from agreeing to a new scope. Our article on requesting a variation when more damage is found explains that separate repair-stage task.
Quick questions after the attendance
Does a make-safe visit mean the claim is accepted? Do not infer acceptance from attendance. Ask for the claim decision and any limits separately.
Can permanent repairs start as soon as the trades leave? Obtain the relevant consent and authorised scope first, except where immediate safety needs require urgent action under the applicable circumstances.
What if the temporary measure fails? Keep away from danger and seek appropriate urgent assistance. Notify the insurer of the changed condition and request further instructions. Preserve the original attendance record so the next person can see what was done and what remained unresolved.
