A recent study by Tesco Finance has looked at the damage we do in our own homes and found some startling results.
Children are one of the major culprits when it comes to damage around the home, racking up over GBP136 million worth of home insurance damage claims per year. Following on in value is the effects of alcohol, costing around GBP95 million in broken items and stains caused by spills. Following on from these is the damage caused by family pets, with a total of GBP87 million worth of damage every year from our faithful friends.
The biggest source of claims, for Tesco home insurance at least, is what they are calling horse play. Just messing around leads to a massive GBP325 million worth of damage and accounts for 25 percent of all contents insurance claims.
An agreement regarding flood insurance between the government and the Association of British Insurers has been supported by AA Insurance.
The agreement will ensure there is a much better understanding of the risk of flooding in different areas as well as improving the accessibility to home insurance for households on low incomes. There will also be changes to the planning system said A Insurance to ensure developments are not placed in areas where the risk of flooding is high.
A spokesman from AA Insurance said that providers of home insurance, like themselves, are well aware of the greater risk of flooding that faces the UK and are structuring their premiums accordingly. Although the premiums will be higher than previously the good news is that cover will still be provided, something that was a concern previously when it was suggested some areas would be uninsurable.
According to data collated by the Halifax home insurance division people in the UK have a bicycle stolen at a rate of just over one every minute.
The actual rate is one every sixty-five seconds, worsening from one every seventy-one seconds last year. The data also shows that London is the most dangerous place to own a bicycle, perhaps unsurprising as the bike is a popular form of transport in major cities like this. A Halifax spokesman suggested a simple way to cut the rate of bike theft would be to use a simple U shaped lock when the bike is left unattended.
The Halifax insurance spokesman also suggested looking at garden security, since many bicycles are kept in garden sheds or just in the back garden itself. Simple security is not expensive and could mean a home insurance claim is not needed.