Most NSW home, business and strata policies cover glass damage. What separates an easy claim from a stressful one is paperwork. The insurer is not the enemy. They have a process. If you give them what they need in the order they expect it, the claim usually gets paid quickly and the glass gets fixed.
This guide is the step-by-step we walk customers through every week in Penrith and Western Sydney.
The short answer
Document the damage with photos before you move anything. Call the police on 131 444 if it was a break-in or vandalism and get an event number. Call your insurer to lodge the claim. Get a written quote from a licensed glazier. Confirm whether the insurer is paying you to arrange the work or paying the glazier directly. Schedule the repair. Keep copies of every document. Most glass claims close within 7 to 14 days.
Step 1: Make the property safe and document the damage
Before anything else, get a make-safe done so the property is not exposed to weather, intruders or further damage. Our 24/7 emergency glass team does this every day, sometimes within an hour of the call.
While the make-safe is happening, photograph and video the damage:
- Wide shots from across the room or street.
- Mid shots showing the panel and the frame.
- Close-ups of the crack, the impact point and any debris.
- Photos of any contents damaged by the broken glass.
Time-stamped photos are gold. Most phones do this automatically. If the police attended, the event number is also a critical document for the insurer.
Step 2: Lodge the claim
You can lodge a claim in three ways with most insurers:
- Phone the claims line.
- Use the insurer’s app or web portal.
- Email your broker (for business insurance).
Have ready:
- Policy number.
- Date and time of the damage.
- Brief description of what happened.
- Police event number if applicable.
- Photos to upload.
Most insurers will give you a claim number on the spot. Write it down. Every future call references it.
Step 3: Get a written quote
The insurer needs a written quote on glazier’s letterhead before approving the work. It should include:
- The address of the property.
- A description of the damage.
- The replacement glass specification (type, thickness, size).
- The repair cost broken into supply and install.
- The make-safe cost if already incurred.
- GST shown separately.
- The glazier’s licence and insurance details.
We provide quotes in the exact format most NSW insurers expect. If your insurer has a particular template, mention it on the call and we will match.
Step 4: Excess, like-for-like and upgrades
The insurer will tell you:
- Your excess (the amount you pay out of pocket).
- Whether they will pay the glazier directly or pay you and you pay the glazier.
- Whether they are approving “like for like” or another specification.
A few useful facts:
- Like-for-like usually means the same glass type as the original. If the original was non-compliant, the insurer is required to upgrade to current code (e.g. annealed to toughened in a wet area).
- If you want to upgrade the glass (e.g. add laminated for security), most insurers will pay the like-for-like portion and you pay the difference.
- The excess applies once per claim, not per pane. If you have multiple panels broken in one event, you pay one excess.
Step 5: Schedule the work and complete it
Once the insurer approves, we book the install. Lead times depend on glass type:
- Stock toughened: 1 to 3 days.
- Custom toughened: 5 to 8 days.
- Laminated: 7 to 12 days.
- Double glazing: 15 to 20 days.
We send the insurer the install date so they can update the claim status. On install day, the homeowner or property manager signs off, we issue the invoice, the insurer settles.
Step 6: Final paperwork
After the work is finished, keep these in one folder:
- Photos before and after.
- The original quote.
- The final invoice.
- The certificate of installation.
- Any compliance paperwork.
Useful for future insurance reviews, a property sale, or if there is any dispute later. Digital copies are fine, named clearly with the address and date.
Common claim mistakes to avoid
A short list that costs people money:
- Cleaning up before photographing. Always photograph first.
- Using a non-licensed glazier. Some insurers reject claims if the work was not done by a licensed business with public liability.
- Paying cash off the books. No paper trail means no claim.
- Forgetting the police number. For break-ins and vandalism, the insurer will hold the claim until you provide one.
- Not reading the policy excess wording. Some policies have a separate glass excess that is lower than the standard.
- Letting the make-safe sit too long. Boarding is a temporary fix. Insurers expect the permanent repair to follow.
When the insurer assigns a glazier vs. you choose
Some insurers have preferred suppliers and will send out their assigned glazier. Others let you choose. Even with a preferred supplier list, most NSW policies allow you to choose your own glazier as long as the work is appropriately licensed and the cost is within reason.
If you would rather use a local glazier (we do this all the time in Penrith and across Western Sydney), tell the insurer on the lodgement call. Most will agree without argument.
The benefits of choosing your own:
- Faster response (a local glazier beats a national network most of the time).
- A relationship for future jobs.
- Easier scheduling around your timetable.
- Local knowledge of similar properties and what is in stock.
Strata claims: a few extras
Strata-managed properties add one layer. The damage might be to common property (covered by strata insurance) or to the lot owner’s property (covered by their own contents policy). For glass, the dividing line is usually:
- Window frames and glass between common property and a lot: strata insurance.
- Internal partition glass within a lot: lot owner.
- Shopfront glass at ground level: depends on the building plan, but often strata.
The strata manager will know which. If the property is a Castlereagh, Penrith or Western Sydney strata building, we deal with strata claims regularly. We invoice the strata manager direct in most cases.
Commercial and retail claims
For commercial tenants, the policy structure can be:
- Building insurance (landlord) covers the building structure and shopfront.
- Tenant insurance covers fit-out, contents and business interruption.
- Sometimes both contribute depending on the damage.
A few useful habits:
- Read the policy at the start of the lease, not after the claim.
- Note the glass excess separately if the policy has one.
- Save the insurer’s claim number where the entire team can see it.
- Photograph the shopfront when it is new and keep the photos.
For shopfronts, we also work with the shopfront repair side of the business, often the same day as the make-safe.
What we can do to speed your claim
Things we do daily for customers in claim mode:
- Provide quotes in the insurer’s preferred format.
- Email photos and damage reports directly to claims teams.
- Talk to the assessor on your behalf.
- Issue invoices with the right ABN, licence number and GST split.
- Submit certificates of installation for compliance follow-up.
Many homeowners hand the claim to us once the make-safe is done and we manage the paperwork. Tell us on the first call and we will take that load.
When to call us
Call us if any of these apply:
- Damage just happened and you need a make-safe.
- You have lodged a claim and need a written quote.
- Your insurer’s assigned glazier cannot attend for days.
- You would rather have a local glazier handle the claim end to end.
Phone 02 4722 2787 any time, or send the photos through our contact form.
FAQ
How long does a typical glass insurance claim take to settle? For straightforward damage with good documentation, 7 to 14 days from lodgement to install. Larger or disputed claims take longer.
Do I have to use the insurer’s preferred glazier? Usually no. Most NSW policies let you choose any licensed glazier. Check the policy wording or ask the claims handler.
Will my premium go up after a claim? Possibly. Glass-only claims often have a smaller impact than larger property claims, but every insurer is different. Ask before lodging if it matters.
Can I claim if the glass cracked on its own? Often yes for thermal stress cracks, depending on the policy wording. Document it the same way as accidental damage.
Glass claims are simple paperwork most of the time. Photograph everything, follow the order, keep copies. The rest takes care of itself.
