Does renters insurance cover food spoilage?

Renters Insurance, also known as Contents Only Insurance, can cover more than just your couch. If your fridge breaks down and causes your lunches, dinners and other food to become unsalvageable, a Suncorp Contents Insurance policy could cover the cost of replacing your food*.

This claim can be made independently from a loss or damage claim, and if you’re only claiming for food and medication spoilage, no excess applies. That way, it’s easy to get your month’s meal plans back on track.

You can find out more by checking the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

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Common questions about food spoilage

How much is covered?

There are three levels of cover that you can choose from when you’re taking out a Suncorp Contents Insurance policy. The total amount we’ll pay for food and/or medication spoilage for any one incident if covered by the policy is up to $500 for all levels of cover. This is a fixed limit, which means you can’t increase or decrease this limit of cover.

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Does Suncorp Contents Insurance cover freezer contents or freezer failure?

Food stored in the freezer is treated the same way as food stored in the fridge.

We’ll cover spoilage of frozen food caused by any of the following:

• an insured event
• the sudden escape of refrigerant fumes
• electrical or electronic breakdown, failure, or malfunction
• the public electricity supply failing to reach the insured address.

What isn’t covered?

Here are a few examples of things we don’t cover:

• Food of any kind if stored out of a refrigerator or freezer
• Loss or damage to a refrigerator or freezer caused by spoiled food
• Arising from, or caused by, industrial action.

For more information be sure to check the PDS for details on inclusions and exclusions.

Documents you may need

If you need to make a claim, there may be some information we’ll need. This can vary and could be as simple as a repairer report showing what caused the damage to the fridge and/or freezer (we’ll arrange this though, unless you’ve already had someone attend to inspect it).

To learn more about what’s covered and what’s not, check the PDS.

Read more:

• The most common Suncorp Home and Contents Insurance claims
• Tips to prepare for a home insurance claim
• Supporting customers through flood and storm recovery

* Subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions of your policy.

Insurance is issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as Suncorp Insurance. Limits, conditions and exclusions apply. Read the Product Disclosure Statement before making a decision about this insurance. The Target Market Determination is also available. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.

This information applies to new policies or renewal policies starting on or after 24 May 2025.