Choice survey highlights increased home insurance cost concerns

29 August 2022

A survey from consumer advocate group Choice indicates a record number of Australians are concerned about rising home insurance prices.

The survey, conducted in June 2022, reports that nearly 64% of respondents are concerned about the cost of home insurance, with 28% answering that they are “very concerned.”

“With devastating floods in recent memory, affordable access to home insurance is front of mind for many consumers,” Choice insurance campaigner Dean Price said.

Choice says rising costs are forcing Australians into a “very vulnerable state”, highlighting a homeowner who dropped his flood cover for his at-risk property after his yearly premium rose from $2000 to $18,000.

“Some people are forgoing flood insurance if they can’t afford it, while others have little choice but to leave their property under-insured or uninsured,” Mr Price said.

The advocacy group says its analysis of Finity data revealed a significant uptick in the cost of home insurance quotes in the past five years.

“Home insurance premium quotes have increased by 72% over the past five years across the country. West Australians have faced the biggest hikes with the average quote up by 101% over the same period,” Mr Price said.

Mr Price called on the Federal Government to provide solutions for soaring prices to help ease financial pressure off Australians.

“Across Australia, it’s going to be more challenging for people to access affordable and appropriate insurance,” Mr Price said.

“The new Federal Government has an opportunity to investigate solutions to help people doing it tough across the nation.”