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In the wake of three earthquakes across Victoria's north-east on September 22, 2021, property damage in Melbourne and regional Victoria has added an additional level of complexity following the State’s two-week construction shut down announced on 21 September. Under the shut down, any projects that are not considered an emergency or essential (specifically, all unoccupied lots) will be placed on hold for two weeks*.
*If you believe any of your jobs fall within this emergency/essential category or have any specific questions on a project, please feel free to reach out to Kieran Drum or Tracy Woolley directly (details below).
In terms of responding to emergencies, such as damage caused by the September 22 earthquake, our building and repairs partners are ready to respond. You can either contact your Honan Insurance broker to arrange this or contact a make-safe partner (details below). Regardless, please be sure to contact your Honan Insurance broker or the Honan Helpdesk.Most policies for Commercial, Residential, and Strata buildings will specify that Damage must occur within 72 hours of the earthquake.
For claims relating to other damage caused by the earthquake, please check your policy for information about the excess, as an additional excess may be applied for an earthquake. Alternatively, please speak with your Honan claims advocate or Honan Insurance broker.
**We have reached out to key insurers and underwriters for confirmation around their residential earthquake excesses, but Policy Wordings for both simply refer to what is noted on the policy schedule.
Honan was advised that due to the earthquake, some insurers implemented an embargo for all of Victoria effective September 22, 2021. As of September 23, 2021, Honan has been advised that the temporary embargo has been lifted. If you continue to have difficulty accessing insurance cover for risks/policies incepting due to the earthquake, please reach out to your Honan Insurance broker or the Honan Helpdesk. Note that the terminology of the temporary “embargo” related to quotes and new business to selected insurer(s) and underwriting agencies on the day of the earthquake (22 September 2021).
1300 736 000
E stratanewclaims@johnslyng.com.au
Crawford’s Contractor Connection
1300 729 239
Honan Claims Helpdesk:
Ph: 03 9947 4333
Tracy Woolley, VIC Claims Team Leader
Maja Vujinovic, Head of Claims - maja.vujinovic@honan.com.au
Kieran Drum, Head of Strata - kieran.drum@honan.com.au
