By Tyler Wright
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) took 17 bookings from Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges residents seeking clarification on their insurance claims after the 9 June 2021 storm event.
The in-person meetings were held on Wednesday 17 August at the Montrose Town Centre, with attendees seeking advice from the ICA, the Eastern Community Legal Centre, Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) and insurers including Allianz, Suncorp and Youi.
“The one-on-one consultations held earlier this week by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) and insurers were an opportunity for local Yarra Ranges homeowners to talk through their individual claims and seek clarification of specific components of their claim,” an ICA spokesperson said.
This comes as homeowners continue to wait for the rebuild, or repairing, of their homes months on from storm events in 2021.
In later October 2021, Matt Gardner, along with his wife and three children, were moved out of their newly-renovated Avonsleigh home after a tree fell through their roof; leaving the residence uninhabitable.
Almost 10 months later, the Gardner family are still living in nearby temporary accommodation, waiting for their house to be repaired.
A building permit has since been issued for the repairs, and a meeting was recently held between the Gardner’s insurance company and builders on the project to discuss the timeline and mould issues.
In a statement to the Star Mail, RACV, the insurance company handling the Gardners’ claim, said 95 per cent of customers’ claims for the June storm have been finalised, with slightly less (86 per cent) finalised for the October storm.
“Claims are prioritised for displaced customers but have been slowed by interruptions including Covid restrictions, material shortages and weather activity subsequent to the June and October 2021 Yarra Ranges storms,” Darren Turner, RACV’s Home Portfolio General Manager Darren Turner said.
“RACV claims from the June and October 2021 Yarra Ranges storms have been managed by a dedicated team to ensure a focus on supporting our members as well as managing supply chain requirements… there have been unusual circumstances throughout this event such as Covid restrictions and impacts to trades and materials that have regrettably resulted in some delays.
RACV’s Insurance is provided by IAG which has a dedicated Major Event Response team in place all year round with detailed plans in place to ensure claims from large scale events are managed as quickly as possible.”
Mr Turner said RACV and IAG are working closely with the ICA to “highlight areas of opportunity” and seek their support in working with government to expedite claims outcomes.
Mr Turner also said RACV is working with the Gardner family to resolve their claim following the October storm as quickly as possible.
