Brits’ love of horseplay costs £325m to damage to homes

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.

Tags: home insurer, hike, love, biggest cause, Insurance

Consumers’ impulse buys costs them

A love of impulse buying helped by credit cards and the internet is leaving Brits financially out of pocket, according to new research.

Findings from swiftcover.com show that 91 per cent of respondents made a regrettable impulse purchase last year with a further 60 per cent admitting to spending in excess of £100 last year on spontaneous buying.

A fifth of consumers blamed credit cards for their impulse spending while a further 26 per cent said the convenience of online shopping made them susceptible to

Tina Shortle from swiftcover.com. said: “Whether it’s a pair of killer heels, or the latest ‘must-have’ gadget, it seems that we’re addicted to spending now, paying later.”

He added: “But that means that we’ve also dropped our guard when it comes to ’sensible’ habits like shopping around and as a result we are getting stung by shops’ returns policies.”

The survey showed that seven out of ten people admitted that they do not bother to read returns policies before buying.

Meanwhile, Which? has reported that shoppers are opting for cheaper supermarkets as Asda and Lidl entered the top ten of stores used by consumers in a recent survey.

Tags: love, pocket, consumer, Technology Internet, Brits, respondents

First-time buyers ‘undeterred’ by credit squeeze

Despite a significant tightening of the mortgage market following the US sub-prime crisis, many Brits are keener that ever to get their foot on the property ladder.

According to research by Fair Investment, despite the number of mortgage enquiries seeing an overall decrease in the past few months, the number of first-time buyer enquiries has gone up dramatically.

In the first three months of the year first they were at an average of 56 per cent, while in the last three months they have risen to 74 per cent.

Furthermore, the number of first-time buyer enquiries for 100 per cent mortgages has increased from 77 per cent in the first quarter to 92 per cent in the last three months.

James Caldwell, Director of Fairinvestment.co.uk explains: “Britain’s love affair with the property market is far from over, despite the recent dip and the gloomy forecasts for the next few years.

“Our figures suggest that…first time buyers are still keen to seek out a deal and are fully prepared to opt for 100 per cent mortgages if it means getting their own home.”

Meanwhile, demand for high-end mortgage products has grown, especially for multi-currency mortgages.

Tags: first three months, credit squeeze, First-time, significant tightening, property ladder

Brits splash the cash on furniture

Brits are spending more on furniture and furnishings for their homes with the latest figures showing that we spent a combined £13.5 billion in this way during 2005.

The figure equates to an average of around £531.50 per household over the year or £10.22 per week.

Experts have highlighted that the amount spent on furniture and furnishings has rocketed by 70 per cent in the last ten years, with the average spend in 1995 being just £6 per week.

Although the amount being spent in this way is growing rapidly, Halifax says that there is no need to curb our spending as long as it is financed sensibly.

“When it comes to furnishings, we all love filling our homes with creature comforts but this shouldn’t leave you with empty pockets or paying high interest for months afterwards,” said Ken Stannard, head of Halifax Credit Cards.

The firm is encouraging consumers to make sure that they are fully aware of the true cost of any items they buy and wants people to shop sensibly.

Despite the high figures regarding the amount we spend on furniture, it is worth noting that the average person spends just one per cent of his or her disposable income on such items.

Tags: figure, creature comforts, Business Finance, amount, empty pockets, love, splash

Protect your pet with insurance

Too few of us are taking out pet insurance despite being a nation of animal lovers.

Debenhams Pet Insurance has released research which shows that three quarters of people with pets have not taken out cover.

Pet insurance can cover any number of things such as vets’ bills, counselling following an animal’s death and advertising and rewards should the pet go missing.

Debenhams believes that the threat to our animals is larger than ever, with high-profile celebrities recently suffering at the hands of animal thieves.

Pop singer Lily Allen had her English bull terrier stolen, while comedian Ricky Gervais helped out his neighbour whose Staffordshire bull terrier went missing.

Both dogs were returned safe and well but only after large rewards were put up, with Gervais offering £1,000 for his neighbour’s dog’s return.

“Pets are family members too. We insure our valuable possessions, we should be insuring our pets as well,” said Diane Jackson, head of Debenhams Personal Finance.

The UK’s love of animals is clear to see, especially when you consider that the RSPCA was established 60 years before the NSPCC.

Tags: English, pop singer, neighbour's dog return."Pets, NSPCC, three quarters, neighbour, cover.Pet insurance, love

Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

Considering the numerous pet owners in the UK, how many have pet insurance to cover their canine or feline companion? Is the money worth having pet insurance if your pet is healthy? What exactly does pet insurance cover? How much are the premiums? These are some questions to ask yourself when thinking about pet insurance. Read more

Tags: Veterinary medicine, holiday trip, policy terms, pet, pet insurance, love, beginning, trend

Barclaycard vies for Valentine’s spending

Barclaycard has come over all loved-up and given all their credit card customers ten per cent cash back on all purchases made at Thorntons, H Samuel and Interflora until Valentine’s Day.

The credit card company is aiming to tap the profit potential of the holiday, which saw an estimated £115 million spent by UK lovebirds on gifts last year.

“We’ve teamed up with three of the country’s leading retailers of Valentine’s gifts to give our customers this great offer,” said UK managing director, Amer Sajed. “With up to £50 cash-back available, our customers can spread a lot more love for less.”

The cash-back will accrue on purchases made in store, over the phone or online and will automatically be credited to the cardholder’s account.

Such is the commercialisation of the former fertility festival that the holiday has become the second-highest card sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas and it has been tagged by some (possibly single) US commentators as a “Hallmark holiday”.

Tags: commercialisation, fertility, account, Amer, credit, interflora, UK managing director, love