Ahead of higher temperatures forecast for Ireland in the coming week, homeowners are being warned to be on high alert of garden mishaps and break-ins – both common insurance claims in times of hot weather.
In particular, homeowners are being warned to check their home insurance is adequate to cover damage caused by BBQ fires, the theft of garden furniture or lawnmowers, and to know the conditions of their cover for break-ins.
Paul Walsh, spokesperson at Peopl Insurance explained,
“Everyone should be encouraged to enjoy the good weather while it’s here of course, but sunny spells like these – that we are not quite used to as a nation, often see people let their guard down and possibly become “too relaxed” to hazards they might otherwise be more vigilant of.
Gardens all around the country will be filled with the scents and sounds of Summer BBQs, but it’s not unheard of for these outdoor cooking utensils to get out of hand and catch on fire.
If there’s serious damage to your home as a result of a BBQ fire getting out of control, your home insurance will usually cover the repairs – but only if you’ve ensured your home insurance provides an adequate amount of cover. If you have underinsured your home or contents, the payout you receive from your insurer is unlikely to cover the full repair bill – meaning you would have to foot some of the bill for repairs and other losses (if any ) yourself.”
Stolen garden goods
Peopl Insurance is also urging homeowners to find out what insurance cover, if any, they have for garden furniture, particularly any expensive items of outdoor furniture purchased.
“Many of us leave our garden furniture out during the summer and indeed, it’s important to make the most of outdoor furniture – and the garden - when the weather is good," Mr Walsh explained.
But homeowners could be surprised to learn that only a fraction of the value of their garden furniture might be covered in the event of damage or theft. This is because some insurers will cover items such as garden furniture up a certain amount if they are stolen or damaged. The amount of cover given is usually in the range of €650 to €1,500 in any one claim, depending on the policy. But insurers may not cover accidental damage of outdoor furniture.
Be vigilant too about where you leave your lawnmower, or any expensive garden maintenance equipment. If you typically leave these items in a shed, make sure it’s locked because otherwise, home insurers will often not cover the theft of these items. Even where a home insurer covers the theft of contents left out in the open, there may be a limit to the amount of cover available or there might be a requirement to list these items on your policy, depending on value.”
Break-ins
According to Peopl Insurance, some of the most common summer insurance claims are prompted by break-ins.
Mr Walsh explained that windows and doors are commonly left open in an attempt by people to keep their homes cool. Be mindful that doing so could encourage opportunistic thieves to break into your home. Know too that insurers typically only cover forcible entry so you may not be covered if you're broken into after leaving a door or window open.
Burglars will know that many people will be away on vacation this time of year. If heading away on holidays, be sure to activate your home alarm before leaving as some policies require their use when the house is vacant. Check the unoccupancy limit on your home insurance policy too - most home insurers have an unoccupancy clause which means they typically won’t cover you if your house is broken into after it has been left unoccupied for more than 30 days in a row. With some insurers, the unoccupancy limit is 60 days”
Top Tips
Peopl Insurance also has the following advice to homeowners ahead of the hot spell.
Damage caused by a lightning strike will usually be covered by your home insurance – as long as your home is adequately insured.
If hiring a bouncy castle for a summer celebration, it is strongly advised to make sure the hire company has its own public liability insurance cover. Remember that if a child is injured at a bouncy castle while visiting your home, the parents of that child could sue you for damages. Home insurance may cover you in such an event – but this will depend on the insurer and the conditions of your policy.
If you have spent or intend to spend money on an outdoor structure such as a patio, pergola or gazebo, notify your insurer and check if it will be covered. Typically, structures like this are protected by your buildings cover (the part of your home insurance which covers the physical structure of your home against damage ). Your buildings cover should reflect the cost of rebuilding your home in the event of damage – so failure to adjust this cover in line with any outdoor structures you build could mean you’re underinsured.
Many insurers allow you to upgrade your cover for outdoor items for an additional cost, which would protect you for accidental damage and/or possibly the full value of your garden furniture. Bear in mind though that even if you take this extra cover, it might be a condition of your policy that you securely store or cover expensive items.
Most home insurance policies include public liability cover which protects you in the event of a visitor to your home seeking compensation after falling injured due to a BBQ or other hazard in your garden. Be aware though that accidents involving family or household members at home are generally excluded from house insurance cover. You normally must have personal accident or family personal accident insurance on your policy to be covered here - and some insurers allow you to buy this as an optional extra on your home insurance policy, for an additional charge.
