Temporary Repairs After a Storm — What Your Insurance Covers

After a storm, your first obligation as a property owner is to prevent further damage. This is known as the duty to mitigate — it is written into most home insurance policies and under Australian contract law. Reasonable emergency temporary repairs are covered by your insurer as part of your claim. Permanent repairs are not — not without prior written approval.

Understanding the distinction between temporary and permanent repairs is critical. Temporary repairs stabilise the property and prevent further loss. Permanent repairs restore the property to its pre-loss condition. Your insurer covers the first. The second requires their authorisation.

What counts as emergency temporary repair:

• Roof tarping: Temporary tarping over compromised sections of roof to prevent water ingress while a permanent repair is assessed and approved. This is one of the most common and most clearly covered emergency repair types.
• Board-up of broken windows and doors: Plywood or polycarbonate sheeting over broken glazing and damaged door frames to secure the property against weather and unauthorised entry.
• Tree and branch removal from the structure: If a tree or large branch has fallen onto the building, removal from the structure (not full stump removal or clean-up of the garden) is a covered emergency repair. Arborist costs for this work are reimbursable.
• Sandbag placement and waterproofing: If water ingress is ongoing or likely — through a compromised subfloor, damaged retaining structure, or affected drainage — temporary sandbag placement or waterproofing membrane application is an emergency repair.
• Temporary structural propping: If a wall, beam, or other structural element has been compromised, temporary propping by a licensed builder to prevent collapse or further movement is an emergency repair. This is particularly relevant after cyclone or significant hail events.

What does not count as emergency temporary repair:

• Replacing damaged tiles, cladding, or guttering (permanent repair)
• Re-plastering, painting, or finishing any surface (permanent repair)
• Full tree removal including stump and garden clean-up (only removal from structure is covered as emergency repair)
• Replacing damaged fencing or outbuildings without insurer approval

The duty to mitigate requires you to take reasonable steps to prevent further loss after a storm event. Most home and contents policies state this expressly. Failing to mitigate — for example, leaving a large hole in the roof for a week without arranging tarping — gives your insurer grounds to argue that subsequent water damage was not caused by the storm but by your failure to act.

The same duty protects you: if you arrange reasonable emergency repairs promptly, your insurer is obliged to reimburse those costs as part of the claim. The key word is "reasonable" — costs that are proportionate to the damage and consistent with what a licensed contractor would charge for emergency make-safe works.

• Reimbursement limits: Most home insurance policies include an emergency repair sub-limit of $1,000–$5,000. Check your Product Disclosure Statement for your specific limit. Costs above this sub-limit are not automatically excluded — they can be included in your main building claim if they were reasonably necessary.
• Receipt requirements: Every emergency repair cost must be supported by a tax invoice from the contractor. The invoice must include the contractor's business name, ABN, licence number, a description of works performed, and the amount charged. Handwritten receipts without ABN or licence numbers may be rejected.
• Photographic documentation: Photograph the damage before any repair begins, and after the repair is complete. This establishes both the pre-repair condition (evidence for the claim) and the scope and quality of the temporary repair. These photos are submitted with your repair invoices.
• Do not authorise permanent repairs: Permanent repairs made without insurer approval remove the insurer's ability to assess the damage in its post-storm condition. This can reduce or void coverage for those elements. Wait for written approval before any permanent restoration begins.
• Do not remove damaged materials: Keeping damaged materials in place (broken tiles, displaced cladding, fractured timber) preserves evidence for the assessor. Only remove materials as part of the approved permanent restoration scope.

Follow this sequence after a storm to protect your property, preserve your claim evidence, and maximise reimbursement of emergency repair costs.

• Step 1 — Safety first: Do not access the property until storm clearance. If there is any risk of structural collapse, live power lines down, gas leak, or flooding, call emergency services before entering. Only proceed when safe.
• Step 2 — Document everything before touching anything: Walk the full property and photograph all damage from every angle. Wide shots first, then close-ups. Photograph the roof from the ground and, if a drone is available, from above. Do not move debris or damaged materials. This is your pre-repair evidence record.
• Step 3 — Notify your insurer immediately: Lodge your claim or notify your insurer before or concurrent with arranging temporary repairs. Most policies require prompt notification. If your insurer has a 24-hour emergency line, use it. Tell them you are arranging emergency make-safe and will provide receipts.
• Step 4 — Engage licensed contractors for make-safe: Contact a licensed builder or roofing contractor for tarping, a licensed glazier for board-up, and a licensed arborist for tree removal from structure. Request a tax invoice with ABN and licence number. Complete temporary repairs within 24–48 hours of safe access.
• Step 5 — Photograph after repairs: Once temporary repairs are complete, photograph the finished make-safe works. This documents what was done and allows the assessor to see both the pre-repair damage and the temporary repair installed.
• Step 6 — Request a full scope assessment: After make-safe, engage an IICRC-certified contractor to conduct a full scope of works assessment. This assessment becomes the basis of your insurance claim and documents all storm damage including secondary elements such as water ingress through compromised areas.
• Step 7 — Submit all documentation to your insurer: Provide your pre-repair photographs, all contractor invoices, your post-repair photographs, and the full scope of works assessment together with your claim. The more complete your submission, the faster and smoother the claims process.

Through the Disaster Recovery platform, our IICRC-certified contractors attend promptly after storm events and provide full documentation — pre-works photographs, scope of works, and a completion report — giving your insurer everything they need to process your claim efficiently. We bill you directly so work begins immediately without waiting for claim approval.