Will Home Insurance Pay For Fence Damage in NSW?

Evidence checklist: what to capture before anything is repaired

Work down this in order. Almost every declined fence claim in the Central West comes down to the same thing: the damaged posts were carted to the tip before anyone photographed the failure point. Tick each item off as you go, and print the list if you are working outside.

1. Photograph before you move a single thing

Wide shot of the whole fence line from both ends, so the assessor can see how much is down.
Close-up of every failure point: the break in each post, at the exact height it broke.
The base of at least one intact post nearby, to show the run was in reasonable condition.
Whatever caused it: the tree limb, the tyre marks, the hail on the ground, the branch on the roof.
A photo with something for scale in it, a tape or a shovel, in at least one damage shot.
A short video walking the full length, narrating the date and what you are looking at.
Any old photo you already have of the fence standing, even a background in a family photo.

2. Measure and count

Total metres of fence damaged, and total metres in the whole run.
Fence height: 1.5m, 1.8m or 2.1m. It changes the rate by $30 or more per metre.
Number of posts down, number leaning, number still sound.
Material and colour, plus any gate, and whether the gate is automated.
Note whether it is a shared boundary and which neighbour it adjoins.

3. Paperwork to find now, not later

Your policy number and the building excess figure on the current certificate.
The fence and gate section of the PDS, including any dollar cap or storm exclusion.
The original invoice or quote if the fence was built in the last 10 years, to prove age and spec.
The Bureau of Meteorology record for the date, for a storm or hail event.
A written note of the date, time and what you saw or heard, done the same day.

4. Make safe, then keep the evidence

Lodge the claim before authorising anything beyond a make-safe, if you can reach the insurer.
Keep make-safe work minimal: secure the site, do not start the rebuild.
Keep the make-safe invoice, and photograph the site again after the make-safe.
Stack the broken posts and panels somewhere out of the way. Do not tip them until the claim is decided.

5. What your fencer needs to give the insurer

Itemised written quote: metres, height, material, rate per metre, posts and gates priced separately.
A plain statement of cause of damage, and whether the rest of the run is sound.
ABN and NSW contractor licence number, needed for residential work over $5,000.
Current certificate of currency for public liability insurance.

Red flags that sink a fence claim

The broken posts went to the tip before anyone photographed them.
The rebuild was finished before the claim was lodged.
The quote is a single lump sum with no metres and no rate on it.
The claim describes an upgrade, such as 1.8m replaced with 2.1m, without flagging the difference.
Photos show soil and mulch piled against the sheets, which reads as lack of maintenance.

Insured event versus wear and tear, in plain words

An insured event is something that happened on a day you can name: a storm, hail, a tree coming down, a car through the fence, fire, or somebody deliberately damaging it. Wear and tear is everything that happened slowly: rot, rust at ground level, termite damage, a post that has been leaning further every winter for six years. Insurers pay for the first and never for the second.

In Orange the line between them is drawn at the post base. Frost heave at roughly 860 metres and reactive basalt clay work a shallow footing loose over several seasons, so a run that was footed to a coastal depth is already half-failed before the wind arrives. An assessor who sees a clean rust line or crumbling timber at the soil line will call it deterioration, and they are usually right. If your posts are sound galvanised steel or H4 treated pine and they snapped mid-length, that reads as storm damage. That is exactly why the photo of the break matters more than the photo of the mess.

A shared boundary adds one wrinkle. Under the NSW Dividing Fences Act 1991 a dividing fence is a shared asset, so some insurers will only settle your half and expect the neighbour to claim theirs. Sort that out before the quote goes in, and see the rules on fences and approvals in Orange if height or position is also in question.

Excess, assessors and the two ways a claim gets paid

Do the excess maths first

A single panel and post in Orange is $380 to $650. A 40 metre Colorbond rebuild is $4,000 to $5,200. A 2026 building excess is commonly $500 to $1,500. If the repair sits under about twice your excess, pay for it yourself: you keep your claims history clean and you avoid the premium increase at renewal, which over five years usually outweighs the small amount you would have recovered. Above that, claim.

The assessor and the scope of works

On a small fence claim the insurer often just wants one or two itemised quotes. Above a few thousand dollars they send an assessor, or a builder acting as one, who writes a scope of works listing exactly what will be replaced. Read that scope line by line before you agree to it. The two things most often missing on an Orange job are frost-rated footing depth and an allowance for rock augering, which adds $15 to $40 per post on the volcanic ground toward Canobolas.

Cash settlement versus insurer-managed repair

A cash settlement pays you the assessed amount and you organise the work. You choose the builder and you can upgrade by paying the difference, but the figure is often struck at panel trade rates, and any variation is yours. An insurer-managed repair uses a builder from the insurer panel and the workmanship is guaranteed by the insurer, which is genuinely valuable, but you do not choose who turns up, the scope is strictly like for like, and after a district-wide storm the queue can run for months. Either way, get one independent itemised quote first so you know what the work is worth.

When we will tell you not to claim

If two or three posts have rotted out on a 25 year old timber fence, there is no claim there and chasing one wastes a month. The same goes for a run that is simply past its service life: see how long a fence lasts in Orange before you lodge. And if the damage is a single panel worth $380 to $650 against a $1,000 excess, we will say so in writing rather than dress it up as a claim. If a decision goes against you and you disagree, the insurer has an internal complaints process and then the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, and both are free to use. An urgent make-safe should still happen first either way.

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Send the photos and the metres and we return a written itemised quote, with cause of damage and our licence and insurance details, within 1 business day.

Fence insurance questions

Does home insurance in NSW cover a fence blown down in a storm?

Usually yes, if the policy covers the building and the damage came from a sudden insured event such as a storm, hail, a fallen tree, fire or a vehicle impact. Watch two things in your product disclosure statement: some insurers cap fences and gates at a set figure, commonly 2,000 to 5,000 dollars, and a few exclude fences from storm cover altogether. Your excess still applies, and in 2026 that is typically 500 to 1,500 dollars.

Why would an insurer knock back a fence claim?

The usual reason is that the posts had already failed. Rot, rust-through at ground level, termite damage and gradual deterioration are wear and tear, and every policy on the market excludes them. In Orange the giveaway is a clean break at the soil line on a 25 year old run: the westerly was the trigger, not the cause. Lack of maintenance and faulty original workmanship are excluded the same way.

Is it worth claiming for one broken fence panel?

Often not. Replacing a single Colorbond panel and post in Orange runs about 380 to 650 dollars, and a typical 2026 building excess is 500 to 1,500 dollars, so you would pay most or all of it yourself and still carry a claim on your record. As a rule of thumb, if the repair is under about twice your excess, pay for it and keep the claims history clean.

What is a make-safe and who pays for it?

A make-safe is the emergency work that removes the hazard and closes the gap: sheets dropped and stacked, broken posts cut off, temporary mesh across an opening. In Orange that is about 250 to 550 dollars on a weekday. Insurers normally treat it as part of the claim rather than a second excess, but ring them first if you can, keep it minimal, and keep the invoice and photos.

Should I take the cash settlement or let the insurer manage the repair?

Cash settlement gives you control of who builds it and lets you upgrade by paying the difference, but the figure is often struck at panel trade rates and you carry any variation, such as 15 to 40 dollars a post for rock augering on a volcanic block. An insurer-managed repair carries the insurer guarantee on workmanship, but you do not pick the builder and the scope is like for like. Get one independent itemised quote before you accept either.

What will the insurer ask my fencer to supply?

An itemised written quote with a per metre rate, the length in metres, the height, the material and any post replacement priced separately. They will also want photographs, an opinion on cause of damage, an ABN, the NSW contractor licence number for work over 5,000 dollars, and a current certificate of public liability insurance. Supplying all of it in one email is the single biggest thing that speeds a claim up.

Related: Colorbond fencing, fencing a rental property and the maintenance schedule that keeps a fence on the insured side of the wear and tear line.

Will insurance pay for your fence? Only if something sudden did it.