Parents 'should upgrade home insurance for Christmas'

Posted : 14-12-2005

Homeowners are being urged to recheck their home insurance policies over the festive period, as new research suggests accidents in the home over Christmas cost millions of pounds each year.

Barclays Insurance has found that 44 per cent of parents in the UK have suffered from their children causing "significant" damage to their homes, including permanent stains from spilt food and drink; broken windows and smashed ornaments.

Over-excited children and tipsy adults are both to blame when it comes to Christmas calamities, although one in ten parents admitted their children had caused between £200 and £1,000 of damage in the home.

Adrian Grace, Barclays Insurance managing director, said: "It is impossible to keep an eye on young children all of the time and accidents such as spilt drinks or broken windows are inevitable.

"It is therefore essential that parents have adequate home insurance, particularly to cover accidental damage to help minimise the cost of replacing household items broken or damaged by their children."

However, the research showed that, despite the amount of damage caused by excitable children over the festive period, some 66 per cent of parents had not bothered to upgrade their home contents insurance since having a child.

Experts suggest concerned parents should shop around online to search out the cheapest deals on their home insurance – or risk losing that mantelpiece stocked with valuable ornaments.


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