Insurance 'vital when carrying out DIY work'
Published On 14 April 2008
People in the UK need to make sure they have the right home insurance when their neighbours undertake DIY projects, a new study has shown.Data released by Halifax Home Insurance indicated that Britons undertaking DIY or home renovation projects cause £173 million of damage to their neighbours' properties each year.
Overall, 594,960 families in the country said their property was damaged by neighbours' home improvement disasters last year.
What's more, over a third said they had to cover the cost of the repair work themselves, indicating the importance of the right insurance policies.
David Rochester, head of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, commented: "A number of errant DIYers are not just damaging their properties, but their neighbours' homes too.
"But even more interesting is that so many victims handle the situation with typically British aplomb. Indeed, over two-thirds of them chose to pay towards the cost of repairing their home - rather than create a fuss.
"Perhaps they weren't aware that they could have claimed for repairing the damage on their neighbour's insurance policy."
Recent research from Lloyds showed that it was important for people to also opt for insurance that covered their garden possessions, as these are typically worth £1,237.
