Parents face up to damage

Parents could face huge bills for accidental damage caused to their home by their children, children's friends or family pets over the summer holidays, warns Sainsbury's Home Insurance. This caution follows research which indicates that up to £639.3 million worth of damage was caused to the family home during the school holidays last year.

Children typically spend between six and nine weeks at home over the summer months and the chances of something getting broken or damaged is high. Last summer, 5.6 million people experienced some property damage caused by children or pets, with 1.33 million indicating that their own children had caused damage in the family home.

However, the biggest culprits would appear to be their children's friends, with 3.98 million laying the blame for damage squarely on these young visitors.

Three per cent (1.33 million) of British adults also said that the family pet had wreaked havoc in the home, which should be of some concern to many households in light of analysis that reveals only 4% of home insurance policies covers damage by the family pet.

In terms of specific rooms or areas that were stated as having suffered damage, most at risk from children and pets was the garden, cited by 1.9 million people. This was followed by damage to walls, carpets and flooring (840,000 people).

Family homes in the North appear to be most susceptible to from children or pets, with 1.67 million claiming damage over this period.

The least accident prone children and pets are to be found in London, where 998,523 stated they had suffered damage over the summer vacation.

01 August 2007 © Moneyextra.com

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