With unmatched tax expertise and technology innovation, Avalara is redefining compliance with a fleet of intelligent agents that initiate and execute tasks

DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Avalara, Inc. today unveiled Agentic Tax and Compliance™, a new class of AI agents that initiate and execute compliance workflows from start to finish. Launching October 2025, these intelligent agents deliver accuracy, scale, and speed across the entire compliance lifecycle.

Building on its leadership in tax compliance, Avalara is launching the first platform for Agentic Tax and Compliance™. Powered by the ALFA framework (Avalara LLM framework for agentic applications), Avalara’s platform combines trusted content, specialized language models, agentic middleware, and scalable infrastructure to deliver real-time compliance execution.

“The most trusted AI breakthroughs are purpose-built,” said Scott McFarlane, CEO and Co-Founder of Avalara. “Just as Harvey AI transformed legal workflows and PathAI redefined diagnostics, Avalara is now setting the standard as the domain-specialized leader in agentic tax and compliance.”

Where others build copilots, Avalara builds AI agents
Avalara’s AI agents go beyond assisting to doing the work: observing, advising, and executing while embedded directly into the environments where work happens. From ERP to ecommerce systems, Avalara’s agents are doing the work that once required entire departments of professionals.

By combining AI agents, Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, private LLMs, and proprietary domain-specific small language models (SLMs), all encompassed in the proprietary ALFA framework, Avalara is redefining what it means to automate tax and regulatory processes.

Agentic Compliance: A New Operating Model
Avalara pioneered the concept of agentic compliance, the idea that compliance should not be bolted on but built in, powered by intelligent AI agents that repeatedly:

• Integrate with business systems
• Observe data, workflows, and user behavior
• Advise on actions, risk exposure, and compliance obligations
• Execute calculations, filings, validations, and document classification

This shift transforms compliance from a manual burden into a more seamless, scalable, and intelligent process that is always on, reliably repeatable, and executed by AI agents.

Agentic Returns in Action
For example, a Returns AI agent can ingest transaction data, invoke Avalara’s headless Returns APIs, apply the appropriate forms and jurisdictional logic, and, upon approval, file on behalf of the client. The result is a digital compliance professional who works 24/7 and stays current with the latest rules and jurisdictions, while delivering scalability, performance, and peace of mind.

From Cloud Disruption to Agentic Scale
Avalara was born in the cloud and brought the first true SaaS model to tax automation, an industry previously defined by on-premises software and manual processes. This transformation was made possible by the rise of broadband internet, which unlocked the reach, scale, and speed required to deliver real-time compliance services.

Now Avalara is executing its next major disruption: agentic tax and compliance. This shift is only possible because Avalara is a technology company that understands tax, not the other way around. The company builds platforms instead of one-off tools. With the same clarity of vision that guided Avalara’s first disruption, the company is once again leading the market toward a new operating model.

Avalara’s agentic architecture is powered by an even stronger foundation: a resilient active-active, multi-cloud deployment spanning multiple geographies and hyperscalers such as AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI. It is horizontally scalable and architected to support every transaction in the world, highly resilient, and performant—averaging 15 millisecond response times due to our distributed design.

The company’s history of ubiquity, evident in 1,400+ signed partner integrations and seamless integrations with virtually every ERP, ecommerce system, POS system, and back-office platform, now extends into the agentic world. Wherever a company’s agents live, Avalara’s AI agents can meet them. In applications, inboxes, folders, workflows, or data streams, Avalara’s compliance layer travels to where work happens.

“Compliance has always been complex and resource intensive, and Avalara has worked for years to make it easier for businesses of all sizes,” said Jayme Fishman, EVP, Chief Strategy and Product Officer at Avalara. “Now, we’re delivering the first-ever digital compliance professionals, AI agents that advise and execute at global scale, making it even easier to handle the most onerous and time-consuming tasks—so businesses can move faster and focus on growth.”

Have Your Agent Call Our Agent™

Agentic compliance becomes truly powerful when agents from different systems can interact. Avalara’s AI agents are designed to seamlessly collaborate with other agents within an enterprise, whether they originate from an ERP, POS, or ecommerce system to complete tax and compliance tasks with speed and precision. This agent-to-agent interoperability turns Avalara into a force multiplier across an enterprise’s agentic flows.

Avalara’s AI agents are designed to be portable and operate where work happens. Productivity tools, development environments, file storage systems, and even user devices can connect directly to Avalara’s agents to validate taxes, classify products, initiate registrations, or file jurisdictional forms. In an agentic world, Avalara does not wait for data. It meets it at the source, acts on it, and ensures greater compliance at the moment of need. It is the foundation of Avalara’s new operating model: Have your agent call our agent.

Whether it is preparing VAT returns in Europe, handling marketplace facilitator rules in the U.S., remitting excise tax in Brazil, or validating licenses in Canada, Avalara provides the only truly agentic infrastructure that spans the full compliance spectrum.

Small Language Models Supercharged by Best-in-Class Compliance Content
Avalara has leveraged its best-in-class content repository to train its own small language models (SLMs), using the most robust and trusted compliance content in the world. These SLMs are designed to complement private LLMs by embedding deep domain knowledge into scalable, intelligent execution. The company’s models never ingest or learn from untrusted content, helping to ensure outputs are compliant and accurate to drive agentic compliance.

Why Avalara’s Agentic Stack Is Built Differently
Avalara’s ALFA powers all of Avalara’s AI features by combining:

• Enterprise LLMs with data isolation from Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI
• Proprietary SLMs tuned on billions of compliance data points
• Prompt libraries, guardrails, reasoning, actions, RAG databases, third-party agentic frameworks, APIs, SDKs
• An extensible agentic architecture

Developers can access Avalara’s MCP servers today at https://developer.avalara.com/.

A More Intuitive Experience Across the Portfolio
Avalara has always been the most intuitive platform in tax compliance, and agentic automation makes it even simpler. Instead of logging in or navigating screens, customers can just ask an AI agent to do the work. There is nothing new to learn, just natural, seamless execution. From returns to tax calculations to certificate validations, agents make even the hardest tasks virtually effortless.

Avalara has applied agentic AI to the broadest set of tax and compliance solutions in the industry, including Avalara AvaTax, Avalara AvaTax for Accounts Payable, Avalara Returns, VAT Returns & Reporting, Avalara E-Invoicing and Live Reporting, Avalara Exemption Certificate Management, Avalara Business Licenses, Avalara Tax Research, Item Classification, Avalara Cross-Border, Tariff Code Classification, Avalara 1099 & W9, and Avalara Property Tax. As each product is reimagined through the agentic lens, customers can expect more automation, less friction, and a consistent experience powered by Avalara’s growing library of intelligent AI agents.

Built for Where Compliance Is Headed
Avalara is going beyond keeping up with mandates, the company is shaping what comes next. With open networks, sandbox testing environments, low-code partner integration, and the ability to run active-active across all major clouds, Avalara is positioned as the only AI compliance layer that is:

• Embedded and interoperable across thousands of systems
• Always on, always compliant
• Designed for developers, operators, and executives alike

The company is unifying deep domain content, agentic infrastructure, and execution-ready models to scale intelligent automation across every category of compliance.

To learn more about Avalara’s AI breakthroughs, visit Avalara.com/AI.

About Avalara
Avalara is the agentic tax and compliance leader. For more than two decades, Avalara has developed one of the most expansive libraries of tax content and integrations in the industry, supporting over 43,000 businesses and government entities across more than 75 countries. The company’s purpose-built AI agents automate end-to-end compliance processes with greater precision, from tax calculations and return filings to exemption certificate management and beyond. For more information, visit Avalara.com.

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David Carless joins as Vice President for Asia Pacific, India and Japan; Mark West named Regional Vice President for Australia and New Zealand

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Kong Inc., a leading developer of cloud API and AI technologies, today announced the appointments of David Carless as Vice President of APJ and Mark West as Regional Vice President for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). These new hires will help Kong scale the company’s regional presence and support its mission to accelerate API and AI adoption across APJ.

As the new market sales lead, Carless will be responsible for driving regional growth, building and scaling high-performing teams, and fostering strong channel partnerships to accelerate APJ market growth. He brings over 30 years of experience in enterprise IT sales and management, across both startups and global IT organizations. He previously held positions as Vice President of APJ for LaunchDarkly and HashiCorp, as well as senior sales and leadership roles at BMC Software, Hewlett-Packard and VMware.

“We’re in the middle of one of the biggest technology cycles in the history of the industry, with AI and APIs reshaping how every company builds, scales, and services their customers,” said Carless. “Kong is uniquely positioned at the center of this shift. I’m excited to build on the company’s strong foundation and momentum to help more customers accelerate growth, reduce complexity, and power the next generation of connected applications with Kong’s unified API Platform.”

While Carless will be responsible for growth across APJ, West will focus on leading the ANZ region’s sales strategy and business development, concentrating on market expansion and strengthening customer success. He has more than 25 years of experience in enterprise software sales and go-to-market leadership and was most recently the Regional Vice President of ANZ at Apptio, which was acquired by IBM in 2023. He has also held key sales leadership roles at leading enterprise tech companies such as UiPath, Cisco’s AppDynamics, SAP Concur, and NetSuite.

“As our CEO often says, there is ‘no AI without APIs.’ That’s true, and this is a critical moment for organizations to leverage AI to modernize and scale,” said West. “I’m excited to help Kong expand its regional footprint, strengthen customer success, and empower businesses to harness APIs and AI for faster innovation.”

“David and Mark bring more than 50 years of proven expertise in scaling teams and driving sales growth across the eAPJ region,” said Augusto Marietti, CEO and Co-Founder, Kong Inc. “Their leadership is a major milestone in our global expansion and will be instrumental in helping us meet the ambitious growth targets we’ve set for this critical market.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Kong’s recent office expansion in Bengaluru, India, which will serve as a key hub for research, development, and innovation, expanding Kong’s engineering resources and allowing the team to tap into the local pool of technical talent.

Kong also has offices in Singapore and Shanghai and has more than doubled the region’s headcount over the last year.

As a part of its expansion, Kong is actively hiring across many departments in APJ, including sales, engineering, product, customer experience, and more. For more information on open roles and to apply, please visit https://konghq.com/company/careers.

About Kong Inc.
Kong Inc., a leading developer of cloud API and AI technologies, is on a mission to empower companies to become “API-first” to advance and enable the AI era. They help organizations worldwide — from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises — unleash developer productivity, build securely, and accelerate time to market. For more information about Kong, please visit www.konghq.com or follow us on X @thekonginc.

ADELAIDE, Australia, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Fleet Space Technologies, Australia’s leading space exploration company, has officially opened its new global headquarters (GHQ) and space-tech hyperfactory at Adelaide Airport’s Catalyst Park. Fleet Space’s 5,300m²+ facility boosts Australia’s advanced manufacturing capacity, enabling the production of thousands of next-generation geophysical sensors and hundreds of satellites annually. By vertically integrating its business operations – supply chain, design, manufacturing, operations, engineering and R&D within a state-of-the-art facility – Fleet Space is scaling the manufacturing of space, climate, and AI-powered technologies needed for the next era of exploration on Earth and beyond.

Fleet Space 10th Anniversary

“Ten years ago, Fleet Space began the journey of building next-gen exploration technologies – powered by the latest advances in space, agile geoscience, and AI – to accelerate the energy transition and support future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” said CEO & Co-Founder of Fleet Space, Flavia Tata Nardini. “Today we are proud to open our new global headquarters and space tech hyperfactory to scale our global  platform – ExoSphere – to fuel the next leap in science, technology, and human exploration – future-proofing Australia’s leadership in the development of future industries.”

Australia’s Global Space & Climate Innovation Hub

Fleet Space’s GHQ and space-tech hyperfactory will support the expansion of its global, AI-powered exploration platform – ExoSphere – deployed by the world’s largest mining and resource companies like Rio Tinto, Barrick, Gold Fields, and Maaden to image mineral systems in real-time across five continents. These new facilities will also enable Fleet Space’s to advance its off-world missions over the coming years, including deployment of the lunar variant of its ExoSphere technology – SPIDER – for Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 and survey the near-Earth asteroid – Apophis – when it comes within 32,000km of Earth’s surface in 2029.

“The scale, speed, and capacity of this vertically integrated facility will equip explorers on Earth and beyond with the agile geoscience solutions needed to move from insight to action, faster – a critical step in supporting the clean energy transition and near-term ambitions to build permanent research stations beyond our planet,” added Co-Founder & Chief Exploration Officer of Fleet Space, Matt Pearson. “Our 10-year anniversary is more than a celebration – it is a promise of what’s to come. Fleet Space was founded a decade ago on the belief that Australia could shape the future of exploration, and today we are delivering the agile geoscience technologies that are accelerating discovery on Earth, the Moon, and Mars.

Horizon Global Summit 2025

The grand opening of GHQ and Fleet Space’s advanced manufacturing facility was Fleet Space’s inaugural Horizon Global Summit, convening global leaders in space, resources, and technology to chart the future of exploration on Earth and beyond. The summit welcomed celebrated explorer Tim Jarvis AM and visionaries from BHP, Maaden, Koloma, Odyssey Space, F1 Academy, Robinson Aerospace, Deadly Science, among many others, zooming in on key challenges and opportunities for exploration today and what’s around the corner tomorrow.

Global Collaboration & Off-World Science

Alongside global space leaders and leading research institutes – such as NASA, Stanford University’s Mineral-X and MIT Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative  – Fleet Space’s GHQ will also scale its ability to advance the science and technology needed to unlock the next chapter of exploration missions on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. From rapid subsurface sensing on the Moon, 3D imaging Earth’s largest lava tubes, building geophysics deployable with TRIDENT-like drills in lunar and Martian environments, or surveying the near-Earth asteroid, Apophis – Fleet Space is building a foundation for a sustainable space economy from the heart of South Australia.

Earth, Moon, Mars: The Next Era of Exploration

Closing a A$150M Series D funding round with a valuation of A$800M, Fleet Space has grown from a local start-up to a global leader in space and mineral exploration technologies within a decade. Its ExoSphere platform, powered by space technology, agile geoscience and AI, is already used by over 50 of the world’s largest mining companies to accelerate the discovery of energy transition minerals while reducing environmental impact at scale. With the opening of GHQ and launch of its inaugural Horizon Global Summit, Fleet Space is setting a bold agenda for the next century of exploration on Earth, the Moon, and Mars.

About Fleet Space Technologies
Fleet Space, Australia’s most valuable space exploration company (A$800M valuation), is transforming data-driven mineral discovery, development, and management with its vertically integrated platform, ExoSphere. Unifying Fleet Space’s satellites, real-time geophysical surveys, compute, and AI into a single workflow, ExoSphere’s agile geoscience solutions are used by the world’s largest mining companies like Rio Tinto, Barrick, Gold Fields, and Maaden globally. On Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2, Fleet Space will deploy the lunar variant of ExoSphere – called SPIDER – to survey the Moon’s subsurface. In December 2024, Fleet Space closed a A$150M Series D to fuel the company’s global expansion and accelerate the development of ExoSphere. For its breakthroughs delivered to the global resources industry, ExoSphere was named Innovation of the Year at the Mining Technology Excellence Awards 2025. Learn more at fleetspace.com.

Fleet Space 5,300m2+ Global Headquarters & Space Tech Hyperfactory

SPIDER: Australia’s first seismic tech to be deployed on the Moon during Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2.

GHQ Ribbon Cutting – Brenton Cox, Managing Director, Adelaide Airport | Michael Brown MP, Assistant Minister for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Economy, Defence and Space Industries | Flavia Tata Nardini, Co-Founder & CEO, Fleet Space | Matt Pearson, Co-Founder & Chief Exploration Officer

Fleet Space CEO, Flavia Tata Nardini speaking to students from Fleet Space’s national STEM program.

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SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Higgs Korea, a consistent leader in mobile accessories and small electronics on Korea’s KakaoTalk Gift platform, is ramping up the entry of its flagship brand, GRIPBANK, into the Japanese market. Recently added to Japan’s Qoo10 shopping platform and launching local SNS campaigns, Higgs Korea introduces unique designs and lifestyle aesthetics, aiming to inspire new travel essentials among Japanese consumers.

Moving beyond simple chargers and electric heaters, Higgs Korea champions the concept of “portable chargers as fashion,” pioneering the domestic market for lifestyle accessories and compact electronics. Whereas most portable devices have focused heavily on functionality, Higgs Korea relies on differentiated designs, developed by its in-house design center, to continually introduce products such as GRIPBANK portable chargers that stand out from the crowd.

Since the early 2020s, Higgs Korea has maintained the top spot in mobile accessories and small electronics sold through KakaoTalk Gift. Its playful characters and stylish color variations consistently capture the tastes of the MZ generation, securing their status as must-have travel companions. The main lineup covers GRIPBANK chargers, electric heaters, and other daily lifestyle accessories and practical small devices, earning high marks for blending design, safety, and functionality.

In Japan, the company plans to deepen its reach with MZ and lifestyle-focused consumers, rapidly launching GRIPBANK chargers and limited edition designs through Qoo10 listings and official SNS channels. The brand often sells out instantly online, at home and abroad, and aims to set itself apart from traditional Japanese electronics companies by emphasizing striking design and practicality—solidifying its reputation as a top “travel essential” brand.

A Higgs Korea spokesperson said, “Our portable chargers go beyond simple devices and electric heaters—they have become global travel essentials, reflecting users’ personality and style. Building on our unique designs, creativity, and successful online platform experience, we’re excited to introduce a fresh lifestyle to Japanese consumers.”

GRIPBANK products can be found at https://www.qoo10.jp/shop/gripbank and https://www.instagram.com/gripbank.jp.

Hudson Tunnel Project Proves that America is Building Again

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MPA Delivery Partners, the joint venture of Mace, Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN), and Arcadis (EURONEXT: ARCAD) announced today that the team has been awarded a $665 million, 4.5-year contract extension by the Gateway Development Commission (GDC) to continue managing the successful delivery of the Hudson Tunnel Project (HTP).

The HTP is progressing on-schedule and expected to create more than 95,000 jobs around the United States and generate more than $19 billion in economic activity. In addition to the thousands of talented employees in the New York/New Jersey region, the project is driving demand for U.S. suppliers of steel, aggregates, rail and track, and ventilation systems. Companies from North Carolina, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Colorado, and Tennessee are benefiting from the Hudson Tunnel Project, unlocking the power of American ingenuity, and proving that the country is building again. With multiple active construction sites managing different portions of the HTP, the project is on-schedule for the new Gateway Tunnel completion in 2035, and the existing tunnel’s rehabilitation by 2038.

“This is a once-in-a-generation project and a true collaboration between the public and private sectors that will serve as a model for delivering future mega-infrastructure projects around the world,” said Joe Marie, senior project executive for MPA Delivery Partners. “We are united in our goal of successfully completing this critical project, which will transform the Northeast Corridor and deliver billions of dollars of economic growth to the U.S. economy. GDC and MPA function as a fully integrated partnership, working closely together to ensure the Hudson Tunnel Project is completed on time and within budget.”

The Hudson Tunnel Project is the cornerstone of the Gateway Program and is widely considered the most urgent rail infrastructure project in the United States. The transformational project involves building a brand new two-tube rail tunnel under the Hudson River and rehabilitating the existing 115-year-old tunnel as well as nine miles of new passenger rail track between New York and New Jersey to improve passenger rail service and enhance the reliability of the Northeast Corridor. These improvements will accelerate economic prosperity and growth around the country while improving long-term reliability and redundancy of the regional and national rail networks for NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak. Ultimately, the Hudson Tunnel Project will establish a new 100-year legacy of engineering excellence built by and for America.

MPA was selected as the delivery partner on the project in February 2024. The delivery partner model has an internationally proven track record for helping public agencies deliver large-scale infrastructure projects. The collaborative delivery partner model has an internationally proven success record for helping public- and private-sector organizations deliver large-scale capital projects with benchmark efficiency and socioeconomic benefits.

ABOUT ARCADIS

Arcadis is a leading global partner driving some of the most transformative projects of our time. We help clients make sustainable choices by combining digital innovation, human expertise, and future-focused skills across environment, energy, water, buildings, transport, and infrastructure sectors. Taking design, engineering, architecture and consultancy to the next level, we use data-driven insights to co-create environments that reflect our clients’ business and stakeholder needs. With over 35,000 people, we unite global expertise to tackle challenges like climate, energy security and diversification, and livable cities, improving quality of life through our presence in 30+ countries. In 2024, we achieved €5.0 billion in gross revenues. Learn more at www.arcadis.com 

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ST. LOUIS, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Global packaging leader TricorBraun has released its 2024 Sustainability Report, detailing the company’s continued commitment to driving ethical, responsible, and sustainable practices for the benefit of its team members, customers, communities, and the planet.

“This year’s report shows how far we’ve come, not only in pursuing more challenging sustainability goals, but in building the data sophistication needed to measure and manage them with greater precision, especially around greenhouse gas emissions,” said Liz Futch, Director of ESG Strategy and Programs, TricorBraun. “At the same time, our team continues to lead with purpose, driving sustainable innovation in all areas of our business that support our customers and communities. Our journey is evolving, and we remain deeply committed to creating lasting positive impact through responsible business practices.”

Highlights from TricorBraun’s 2024 Sustainability Report include:

• Reaffirming its commitment to source 100% of the electricity used across its North American operations through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Expanding this approach internationally by sourcing 100% of its EU electricity use and 56% of its UK electricity use from renewable sources, surpassing its goal of achieving at least 50% in these regions.
• Elevating its ESG governance structure by launching a new data platform, conducting independent assurance of its emissions inventory, and committing to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
• Achieving top-tier ESG recognition, maintaining its EcoVadis Silver Medal, while ranking in the top 6% of all submissions globally.
• Launching sustainable packaging innovations across materials, including paper, plastic, metal, and flexible substrates, enabled by its substrate-agnostic model and deep industry knowledge.
• Expanding its Zero Waste initiatives, achieving validation at several sites, and launching regional diversion programs that are already producing measurable environmental benefits.
• Strengthening its commitment to people by investing in training, development and recognition programs that help team members thrive and by fostering a culture where excellence is celebrated.

About TricorBraun
Founded in 1902, TricorBraun is a global packaging leader. We leverage our scale, comprehensive scope and unparalleled expertise to solve customers’ complex packaging problems and help them win in the marketplace. TricorBraun is composed of more than 2,000 packaging professionals operating from more than 100 locations across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia.

• Two in five (40 per cent) Australian homeowners admit to taking a “set and forget” approach to maintenance, putting their homes at risk of preventable damage and claims, according to Allianz’s new Home Care Report.
• At the same time, home claims are increasing with Allianz managing more than 78,000 home-related claims in 2024 (excluding those caused by natural catastrophes) – a near 5% increase on 2023.
• Many homeowners are more focused on creating a space that looks and feels personal, with 39 per cent prioritising visual appeal and 35 per cent adding personal touches over routine maintenance.
• Allianz is calling on Australian homeowners to prioritise essential home maintenance, with simple, practical actions that may help to reduce preventable claims and protect their homes and insurance coverage.
• To help reduce this maintenance gap, Allianz’s Home Care Report provides practical home maintenance tips. Allianz has also been trialling a new Home Health Check service, designed to help homeowners identify and address issues early, boosting homeowners’ confidence in the resilience of their homes.

SYDNEY, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Australians feel a sense of care towards homeownership, often taking great pride in their homes, and viewing them as a reflection of hard work and a place to build memories. Yet new research commissioned by Allianz Australia shows that while most homeowners (94 per cent) understand the risks of neglecting home maintenance, and almost 90 per cent agree maintenance is worthwhile, turning good intentions into consistent action remains difficult, with time, cost and effort often getting in the way.

A surprising number of homeowners are taking a “set and forget” approach, with two in five (40 per cent) admitting they don’t maintain their homes regularly, or at all. In fact, only 16 per cent act when they remember and 12 per cent when someone else prompts them, meaning small issues can easily slip through the cracks. This reactive mindset often leads to minor problems becoming expensive repairs, particularly in areas like water leaks and roofing, where early fixes are far more affordable. For example, Allianz recorded more than 19,000 claims involving burst pipes and water damage, some of which may have been avoided with basic maintenance, such as changing a flexi hose, checking seals, or replacing ageing fixtures.

The research also found that home ownership is not without its challenges for Australians, with a notable minority describing it as a long-term source of stress. Cost-of-living pressures and upkeep responsibilities are key stressors, with 35 per cent of surveyed homeowners citing financial strain and around a third (32 per cent) pointing to ongoing maintenance as a reason for feeling disengaged with owning a home. The findings demonstrate a strong opportunity to help educate Australian homeowners and encourage a shift from reactive to preventative care, making home maintenance less stressful and more manageable and cost-effective over time.

With the volume of home-related claims rising, it’s also an important reminder of the responsibility of homeowners to maintain their homes under their insurance policy. With most insurers having a general exclusion for ‘wear and tear’, the financial impact for home owners could be significant if issues aren’t addressed early. For example, while insurance may cover damage from an insured event such as a hailstorm, it may not cover damage from issues that have developed over time as a result of wear and tear or lack of maintenance.

To help homeowners bridge this maintenance gap, Allianz has launched its first Home Care Report, a free online resource that explores both the immediate and long-term impacts of home care and general maintenance. The report goes beyond highlighting the risks of neglect, offering handy tips and practical advice from Allianz and property industry  professionals. It provides simple, easy-to-action steps homeowners can take to better maintain their properties, reduce the likelihood of costly damage, and save on expenses over time. 

Allianz has also been trialling its new Home Health Check service throughout 2025, with positive feedback from customers paving the way for potentially broader availability in 2026. The Home Health Checks have been carried out in over 200 customers’ homes and include interior and exterior inspections, leak detection, mould assessment, drainage checks, and evaluation of taps, fixtures, and flexi-hoses. The offering was developed to address a clear gap in the market, informed by Allianz claims data, that showed customers may be able to avoid some home insurance claims by staying on top of simple and inexpensive maintenance, saving them time, inconvenience, and money.

“At Allianz, we deeply care about our customers and understand that their homes are more than just assets, they’re spaces our customers take great pride in and where they create memories and feel safe. We also understand that keeping up with maintenance can be challenging, from a time, cost and know-how perspective,” said Shez Ford, Chief General Manager Consumer, Allianz Australia.

“That’s why helping our customers protect their homes is so important to us. Through initiatives like our Home Care Report and Home Health Check program, we’re offering practical guidance that may help homeowners prevent costly damage, and improve the maintenance of their homes, ” concluded Shez.

Leading property renovator and founder of Ace Properties Agency, Rebecca Cardamone, added, “When assessing homes, we often come across issues such as water damage, leaking pipes or mould, which are problems that could have been prevented with simple, routing upkeep. Not keeping up with maintenance not only increases risks of incidents but also undermines a property’s long-term value. Regular and proper maintenance protects a home’s immediate liveability as well as saving customers time, inconvenience, and money by preventing repairs from needing to be made.”

The study also found generational differences, with younger and newer homeowners tending to show greater diligence, while more experienced owners are more likely to admit lapses when it comes to home maintenance.

Adding to the challenge is a shift in priorities. Four in five surveyed homeowners (78 per cent) say their approach to maintenance has changed since buying their first home, with more focus on visible upgrades, like new appliances or aesthetic improvements, rather than essential maintenance. Social media also plays a role: 24 per cent say it influences how they manage their homes, and 15 per cent admit they now prioritise looks over long-term upkeep.

With many homeowners delaying upkeep until problems escalate or prioritising aesthetic improvements, Allianz is encouraging Australians to take a proactive approach to essential home maintenance. By addressing small issues early, homeowners can better protect their homes and avoid unnecessary costs.  

For more information visit allianz.com.au/prevention.

About the research:
The research was commissioned by Allianz and conducted by YouGov in accordance with the Australian Polling Council standard. The survey is a nationally representative sample comprising 1,007 Australian homeowners aged 18 years and older, conducted online between 13 August and 18 August 2025.

About Allianz Australia:

Allianz Australia delivers a wide range of personal, commercial, and corporate insurance products and services to more than 4 million policyholders. It also provides support for workers compensation insurance to around 25 per cent of the top 200 ASX companies, making it one of the leading workers compensation insurers in Australia.

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