One of the major insurers recently reported an increase of 25 per cent in the number of claims for accidental damage and loss claims made, in just three months, in comparison with the identical period last year. Top of the bill in the cause for claims is not rampaging vandals, but simple clumsiness. It seems that people are all “fingers and thumbs”, particularly when they’re around their laptops. There was more than a 25 per cent rise in damage to them usually caused through accidentally spilling drinks.

The next most claimed-for item was for televisions, with games consoles following close behind. Personally I find this is no surprise – looking in on my young nephew’s last weekend you could hardly see the area around the television for a tangled web of cables leading to various electrical things which I don’t quite understand, like games consoles and recorders. Sprawled in front of them were three youngsters enthralled in some horrific-sounding game.

Carpets came next, again with damage from spilled drinks being a major culprit. If an alien were to land from Mars or somewhere, I’m sure they’d be convinced that a vast majority of Brits are glued to their “machines”- breaking off only to grab another drink! It’s a fact that an awful lot of claims, almost 50 per cent in fact, on home insurance policies, are from accidental damage and loss.

The strange thing is that so many homeowners don’t consider this type of cover to be important. There was an opinion poll of British homeowners and when they were considering home insurance, a mere 2 per cent of those surveyed were bothered about these types of accidents. They have need to be though, as not all home insurance policies have this cover. Particularly with some of the budget policies, it may only be available as and add-on extra.

And the most likely age-group of these accident prone people is a surprise too – they’re in the mid 40 to mid 50’s age group. Although it may not be so surprising when you think about it, as people in that age group may have children who are still at home, so the things most likely to be damaged are under even more use than in the home where there are just two people.

If you’re surprised by these facts and figures, maybe it’s time you checked out your insurance policy details. Check both your contents and buildings cover, to find out if you’ve got accidental damage insurance included. If you haven’t then you should seriously think about it. It’s probably only going to cost a modest amount to add it, but whilst you’re doing that it could be a good time to re-assess your home and buildings insurance as a whole. If you’ve been with your current insurer for some time you may have just found it easier to renew each year than to check out other insurers. This is a mistake, as the insurance market is really competitive and you can get really good deals by shopping around, as you would for other things.

You’re not alone if you haven’t time to shop around – people are so busy these days and there are times that it’s just easier to stick with what you know. However, there’s not a problem. If you use the internet to find an independent broker and tell them your needs, they’ll have access to an unbelievably big range of insurers and will come up with the right product for you, at the right price and just the cover you need. Just don’t spill your drink whilst you’re doing it.

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