Investor warning: Don’t ignore your personal insurance

Personal insurance isn’t something that property investors should ignore, warns EPS Property Search director Patrick Bright.

Australia is one of the most underinsured developed countries in the world, Bright said, and many investors are failing to adequately protect themselves.

“Before you sign a contract to purchase a property you should have the appropriate insurances in place, at the very least income protection,” said Bright.

“You not only want to protect your 10% deposit in case something unforeseen happens between exchange and settlement but you want to know that you can complete settlement.”

He said that one of the quickest ways to lose your home is through unpredictable occurrences that stop your ability to earn. Many property investors consider burglary, tenant damage or natural disaster, but then fail to consider the possibility of dying or getting ill.

Pointing to an Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance study on the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires, he noted that for 171 people who died – less than $1 million was paid out in life insurance.

“You need to insure the person who is paying for the asset rather than just insuring the asset itself,” he explains.

“Ask yourself how your family will manage if one of the breadwinners becomes sick or dies? Do you have the necessary income protection and life insurances in place to protect your assets and allow your family to continue their quality of life rather than being forced to sell the family home?”