By Lezanne Janse van Rensburg, 5th January
2010
The festive season is known as a time for giving, but for
thousands of Brits it also a time for claiming on their home
insurance policy.
In a recent study conducted by the price comparison website,
Confused.com, Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations have
resulted in more than ₤858 million in insurance claims. This is
proving to be very costly for British households.
According to the study average households will have to spend
between ₤35 and ₤100 extra to cover the festive season's
damages.
Among the thousands of contents insurance claims are 57.3
million broken plates, cups and glasses and 91.7 million claims for
spillages on carpets and floors.
Confused.com also found that a staggering total of 36.7 million
presents given over the Christmas season are damaged or broken
within the first few days following the festivities. This makes up
a large portion of insurance claims over the holidays.
Among the thousands of contents insurance
claims are 57.3 million broken plates, cups and glasses and 91.7
million claims for spillages on carpets and floors.
But not all insurance claims were due to homeowners' own
neglect. According to the website's findings one in ten homeowners
fell victim to house robberies and resulted in an average loss of
about ₤247 per household.
The study, which involved the questioning of 3,000 people, also
showed that seven percent of individuals ended up with either
damaged or broken television sets while a further six percent had
broken windows.
The festive season is also filled with a number of fun
activities and even these have resulted in damages. The study found
that 9 percent of content and home insurance claims were
game-related. About 45 percent of these damages resulted in broken
ornaments due to people playing the Nintendo Wii and other console
games.
In response to the latest insurance claim figures Confused.com's
head of insurance, Darren Black, said the amount of insurance
claims seen during the first few days of 2010 is shocking. But he
did have some advice for future party hosts.
"You can't get through the festive period without having a house
full of people at some point so maybe it's best to keep all
breakables out of reach,'' Black advised.
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