Spike in Christmas home insurance claims on the way

Sainsbury’s Home Insurance has warned there could be a New Year spike in home insurance claims as homeowners look to cover the cost of damage done during the festive period.

In the first week of January last year the number of claims handled by Sainsbury’s was 37 per cent higher than during a typical week. The bank estimated that the first week of January this year could see over GBP 25.4 million worth of home insurance claims across the UK.

Research for the bank also suggested that homeowners were more likely to make costly claims in December, due to the increased value of home contents with presents as well as costly food and drink being stored for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year.

Last December the average home insurance claim, at just over GBP 1,260, was 16 per cent higher in December than during the rest of the year.

Ben Tyte, Sainsbury’s Home Insurance manager, said: “In these challenging economic times, opportunist thieves could well be on the look out for unattended homes over the festive period, while large numbers of Christmas visitors could increase your chances of accidental damage, so the chances of having to make a yuletide claim increase dramatically. Even having the fridge and freezer very well stocked could lead to a considerable claim if there was a power cut. Leading up to Christmas we’d advise homeowners to check their home insurance policies to ensure they’re automatically given extra Christmas cover.”