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do i have to tell insurance im doing a reno

The question, put plainly: Do I need to tell my insurer before renovating?

The short answer

Yes. Ordinary home and contents cover generally excludes or limits damage arising from construction work, and a substantial renovation usually requires a specific policy or an endorsement.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 5 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Home insurance is priced for a house being lived in, not for a site with trades, tools, open walls and materials in the driveway. Most policies deal with that by limiting or excluding cover during construction, and by requiring notification above a threshold.

The gaps that catch people

  • Damage caused by or during the building work, which the home policy may exclude entirely.
  • Theft of materials on site, which are usually not contents.
  • Liability for injury to a person on the site, which matters enormously to an owner-builder.
  • An unoccupied dwelling, since many policies restrict cover after a property has been vacant for a defined period, and renovations often mean moving out.

Who insures what

Under a standard building contract, the builder normally carries contract works and public liability insurance covering the work itself. Ask for certificates of currency and check the amounts and the expiry dates rather than accepting an assurance. As an owner-builder, both of those are yours to arrange, and neither comes with the permit.

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. Consumer rights and guarantees · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. Contracts · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. What is icare HBCF and why do I need it? · icare NSWChecked 2026-08-11 · responded 200 OK
  4. Building contracts · Consumer Affairs VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  5. Consumer Protection · Government of Western AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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