Insurance expert warns Brits over holiday homes

By MoneyhighStreet Staff. Published on August 9, 2008 This post currently has no comments.

Spanish Villa
A leading industry expert on insurance has advised Brits to make sure their holiday homes are fully covered.

Public relations manager for the AA, Ian Crowder, has said that too many Brits are forgetting to take out or renew insurance on their second homes.

He has also estimated that a third of all UK households don''t have contents insurance at all and many that do are underinsured.

He said: "It''s important to make sure you''ve got sufficient cover for everything and that you do include everything."

Mr Crowder also advised holiday home owners to exercise common sense.

"If … you''ve left the main window wide open and you go out for the day, and someone comes in and does the place over, you''re not going to get a very sympathetic ear from the insurer," he commented.

Zurich Private Clients discovered in a recent survey that the average holiday home contained valuables worth £15,200.

The latest statistics from the Department for Communities and Local Government showed that 211,000 Brits had second homes abroad in the year between 2005 and 2006.