Blue Zebra Insurance (BZI) has confirmed new underwriting arrangements for its Home Buildings & Contents, Landlords, and SME Business Package products, effective July 1.
This marks a continuation of Blue Zebra’s broader capacity refresh, following the recent announcement that QBE will assume underwriting responsibilities for the insurer’s motor portfolio from the same date.
As part of the transition, Blue Zebra will issue replacement and new business policies for the affected product lines from June 26, for inceptions starting July 1.
The Home Buildings & Contents and Landlords policies have undergone wording updates, with revised Product Disclosure Statements and Target Market Determinations now accessible online.
The SME Business Package policy remains largely unchanged, except for administrative updates reflecting the change in underwriting security.
A significant operational change is the discontinuation of instalment premium payment options.
Existing policies with instalment plans will be migrated to annual payment terms at renewal.
Blue Zebra has advised brokers that the underwriting change will not impact standard transaction workflows. Documents will be updated in the insurer’s platform automatically, and broker contact details for claims remain unchanged.
The announcement comes amid broader market concerns regarding landlord insurance adequacy.
According to recent research commissioned by QBE, 38% of Australian landlords surveyed said they would face financial stress within two to six weeks if rental income stopped or their property became uninhabitable.
The survey, conducted in April with 500 respondents, found only 56% of landlords had policies specific to rental properties.
Meanwhile, 34% had encountered late rental payments, and 30% experienced tenant-related damage.
Of those impacted, 17% said their claims were not covered, citing limited or insufficient coverage, particularly around rent default protection.
Separately, Aon’s latest “Client Trends 2025” report has outlined four converging forces – trade dynamics, technological change, climate volatility, and workforce shifts – that are reshaping organisational risk profiles.
The report draws from Aon’s Risk Capital and Human Capital research and emphasises the need for more integrated data and strategy in risk and workforce planning.
Aon’s analysis suggests that firms equipped to respond with integrated capabilities will be better positioned to manage uncertainty and operational complexity in the years ahead.
