Lloyds: People should check garden insurance

An insurance expert has said today that people make “all sorts of claims” on policies for garden items, urging people to check that their insurance covers things that they might not have considered.

People have made claims for items of clothing being stolen from washing lines, fire damage from barbeques and even stone paving being stolen from a garden, says an insurance expert Jonathan Wadd.

According to Lloyds TSB Insurance, 18 per cent of people have garden items worth between £1,000 and £3,000 and 55 per cent have never checked their insurance policy to make sure it covers their garden items.

Mr Wadd advises people to check their policies as they provide different levels of insurance.

“There’s a quality kite-mark out there for financial series products, which is a de facto five-star rating, so if you look out for a product with that kind of rating it’s more likely to meet your needs,” Mr Wadd commented.

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Insurers expect surge in DIY claims

The May Day Bank Holiday is expected to have led to a surge in insurance claims as the UK went DIY crazy.

Bank Holidays are traditionally a time when homeowners decide to carry out some work on their house and this one has been no different.

Lloyds TSB Insurance says that it is expecting the number of calls it receives to surge by around 60 per cent in the coming days.

The firm has revealed that it saw calls rise by 56 per cent following the 2006 May Day Bank Holiday and it predicts that accidental damage claims will also rise.

“May Day Bank Holiday can spell disaster for DIYers,” explained Phil Loney, managing director at Lloyds TSB Insurance.

“We’re urging anyone who’s getting out a paintbrush, drill or stepladder to be extremely careful. Unfortunately, sometimes accidents do happen and it’s then that having the right insurance cover can prove invaluable.”

The firm says that their have been some quite interesting claims made in recent years. Among them is a toddler who wanted to follow his dad’s DIY lead and painted a newly-laid carpet.

One man accidentally drilled through a gas pipe and caused a leak, while another crashed through his ceiling as he tried to repair some floorboards.

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