Auto and General Insurance “shamefully lagging behind” on fair fire definitions: CHOICE

Consumer group CHOICE has slammed Auto and General Insurance (the insurer behind Budget Direct, Virgin Money and ING) for failing to fix fire definitions in their home and contents policies.

Over a year since the devastating Australian 2019/2020 bushfires, a new analysis by CHOICE has found most major insurers have updated their home and contents policies to address fire definitions previously dubbed by the consumer group as “confusing, unfair or unclear”, leaving Auto and General Insurance as the last major insurer to act.

“Auto and General Insurance is shamefully lagging behind on fair fire definitions for Australians,” says CHOICE Insurance Campaigner Dean Price.

“This means when you buy insurance from brands like Budget Direct, Virgin Money or ING there’s more wriggle room for Auto and General Insurance to get out of paying or rebuilding if the worst happens to your home. Their definitions mean that damage caused by melting, smouldering or smoke doesn’t have to be covered by their policies,” says Price.

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