Home disasters for returning holidaymakers
May 25, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Insurance
Over one million Brits return from holiday each year to find that there home is a disaster area.
Research by Halifax Home Insurance shows that we arrive home to a combined total of £2.3 billion worth of damage and, without insurance, we could be counting the cost for years to come.
The most common problems are criminal damage, faulty utilities and storm damage. According to Halifax, a quarter of us are burgled while on holiday.
Water damage is another costly problem that affects many, with 1.7 million holidaymakers having to pay a combined bill of £960 million to repair damage done by burst pipes and the like.
“Home disasters can be extremely distressing at the best of times, so returning to one after a relaxing holiday would certainly bring you back down to earth with a bump, so having adequate home insurance cover to protect your property – whether it’s occupied or not – is absolutely critical,” said Vicky Emmott from Halifax.
“As well as making sure they are insured there are lots of other practical things that holidaymakers can do to protect their properties whilst they’re away.
“For example, ensuring that the heating comes on during the winter can prevent pipes from bursting, and cancelling regular deliveries like milk or newspapers make it less obvious to a thief that your property is vacant,” she added.
Children left alone on the house are also a common menace for holidaying Brits, with almost one million saying that they had returned to find their home damage by the kids.
