Does renters insurance cover food spoilage?

Renters Insurance, also known as Contents Only Insurance, can cover more than just your couch. If your fridge breaks down and causes your lunches, dinners and other food to become unsalvageable, a Suncorp Contents Insurance policy could cover the cost of replacing your food*.

This claim can be made independently from a loss or damage claim, and if you’re only claiming for food spoilage, no excess applies. That way, it’s easy to get your month’s meal plans back on track.

You can find out more by checking the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

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Common questions about food spoilage

How much is covered?

There are three levels of cover that you can choose from when you’re taking out a Suncorp Contents Insurance policy. Each level of cover has a different limit on the total amount we’ll pay for a single food and/or medication spoilage incident if covered by the policy. These are all fixed limits, which means you can’t increase or decrease the limit of cover.

• Classic cover, with a limit of $500.
• Classic Extras cover, with a limit of $1,000.
• Classic Advantages cover, with a limit of $2,000.

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Does Suncorp Contents Insurance cover freezer contents or freezer failure?

Food stored in the freezer is treated the same way as food stored in the fridge.

Here are just a few examples of incidents covered*. This includes things like if the food spoilage was caused by:

• the sudden escape of refrigerant fumes
• lightning or storms causing a power outage or causing the fridge and/or freezer to stop working, or
• electrical or electronic breakdown, failure or malfunction.

What isn’t covered?

Here are a few examples of things we don’t cover:

• Food of any kind if stored out of a refrigerator or freezer, or if it’s in commercial storage.
• The fridge itself, unless the fridge has been damaged by an insured event or if the fridge can be covered by added optional covers such as motor burnout or accidental damage.
• If the power surge or failure is due to your power provider.
• If the power outage is caused by a faulty outlet. However, if it is caused by a sudden incident like lightning or a tree falling on power lines, cover would be provided.

For more information be sure to check the PDS for details on inclusions and exclusions.

Documents you may need

If you need to make a claim, there may be some information we’ll need. This can vary and could be as simple as a repairer report showing what caused the damage to the fridge and/or freezer (we’ll arrange this though, unless you’ve already had someone attend to inspect it).

To learn more about what’s covered and what’s not, check the PDS.

Read more:

• The most common Suncorp Home and Contents Insurance claims
• Tips to prepare for a home insurance claim
• Supporting customers through flood and storm recovery

* Subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions of your policy.

Insurance is issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as Suncorp Insurance. Limits, conditions and exclusions apply. Read the Product Disclosure Statement before making a decision about this insurance. The Target Market Determination is also available. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.