Brits’ love of horseplay costs £325m to damage to homes
June 17, 2008 by admin
Filed under News, News-Insurance
The biggest cause of damage to homes has been found to be ‘horseplay’, which results in a total bill of £325 million each year, a new report has found.
Research from Tescocompare.com has revealed that one in four accidents in the home is caused by Brits ‘messing around’.
A further £95 million pounds worth of damage is the result of people having a little too much to drink and causing an accident, the most common type being a spillage, according to the study.
More than one in three say they have damaged carpets, curtain or furniture by spilling something on them.
Commenting on the research, Paul Baxter from Tescocompare.com, said: “As the saying goes accidents do happen – and this research suggests many of us suffer financial loses on an annual basis. You can insure against accidental damage.”
In related news, the website recently revealed that 64 per cent of Brits stayed with the same home insurer last year even though 44 per cent saw a price hike.
Doing DIY? Tell your insurer, says expert
June 11, 2008 by admin
Filed under News, News-Insurance
People carrying out DIY projects at home could risk invalidating their home insurance if they neglect to tell their insurance provider about it, Sainsbury’s Finance has said.
Neil Laird, home insurance manager of Sainsbury’s Finance, said people can make small changes to their homes, such as replacing doors or decorating the interior without informing their home insurer first, but they should let them know about any major changes.
Mr Laird noted that structural changes would warrant telling the insurance policy provider beforehand.
“We want to make sure that homeowners are aware that they could be left underinsured or even invalidate their insurance entirely in the event of an incident during or after works if they have not informed their insurer.”
According to figures from the UK home insurance company Zurich, nearly half of all homeowners fail to inform their home insurer of major DIY changes they make to their properties.
