The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) is warning Ipswich residents to be aware of disaster chasers operating in their community eleven months after last year's Halloween hailstorm.
Disaster chaser activity has increased in recent weeks, with door-knocking residents of damaged homes and letterbox leaflets offering services that sound legitimate but are in fact seeking to exploit homeowners.
Some disaster chasers pressure homeowners to sign a contract on the spot for future repair work and may promise their insurer will pay. This can leave the homeowner liable to pay a commission or inflated repair bills not covered by their insurance policy, as insurers will only pay for approved work that is covered by a policy.
Residents who believe they may have been approached by or signed with a disaster chaser should seek guidance from their insurer.
The ICA and insurers will again host one-on-one consultations in Springfield Lakes for local customers affected by the Halloween hailstorm.
These personal consultations are an opportunity for customers to speak with their insurer's claims team about their own claim.
This is a COVID-safe event, registration is essential for customer consultations with insurers.
What: Customer consultations with insurers or the ICA natural disaster recovery team
When: Wednesday 6 October 2021 from 9am to 8pm
Where: Springlake Hotel, 1 Springfield Lakes Blvd, Springfield Lakes
How: Book online at www.insurancecouncil.com.au/HalloweenHail
Quote attributable to Andrew Hall, CEO, Insurance Council of Australia:
The upcoming October customer consultations are an opportunity for the ICA and insurers to assist property owners with the progress of their claim and talk through any situations involving disaster chaser activity.
Insurers have been working hard to resolve a backlog of claims related to last year's devastating hailstorms, with almost 80 per cent of claims now closed.
Insurers have received more than 43,200 claims, with the current estimated loss $1.03 billion.
