Houses, flats or units can be covered for contents and building. Whether it’s an owner occupied property or a rental property, the owner of the building should have insurance to cover any damage to the property including the roof, structure (including frame, ceilings, doors, windows, walls, subfloor and exterior. If the property is rented, then they would need cover for contents like floor coverings, cabinetry, light fittings and associated plumbing and electrical and also window coverings.

The homeowner or tenant should have contents insurance for any furniture, window coverings, whitegoods, personal items, clothing etc.

Commercial premises can be a café, a restaurant, retail shop, professional office, showroom or factory/warehouse or a shopping centre. A commercial contents policy normally covers items like desks, computer etc. but can also include the insured’s fit out i.e. flooring, carpet, kitchen cabinetry, walls and ceiling tiles (if they’ve needed to put in a false ceiling). The client will need to confirm if the insured is responsible for these items.

Commercial building policies generally cover the roof, framework, electricals and plumbing, walls, ceilings, stairs, hallways, foyer and the subfloor.

If a commercial job is contents only and for example the carpet has been removed and the subfloor needs to be dried, it’s best to check with our client if this should proceed. They will advise on how to proceed.

Most client purchase orders may not be specific we should contact our client to confirm what is covered and ask if a contents inventory is required. A contents inventory is where the trade photographs and notes all contents, a description and photograph and whether they are salvageable or non-salvageable. Our client will advise what is to be done with non-salvageable goods.

It’s best if we can provide this information for our trade when sending out the work order but if we don’t have it then, we can aim to provide it as soon as possible.

Trades might call asking if they can remove unsalvageable carpet, drill holes in kitchen kickers or can they remove the skirting boards to assist with drying. We must obtain approval from our client before the trade proceeds. For restoration jobs, it’s best to put things in writing so that there is no confusion or questions later. For removing non-salvageable carpet, the person on-site/insured needs to sign a waiver prior to the removal.