2012: bumper year for insurance claims

2012 will be a bumper year for insurance claims, according to recent research. It’s going to be a year full of events which will almost certainly cause a surge in claims on household insurance.

According to AXA Personal Lines, the Olympics, Euro 2012 and the Diamond Jubilee will all encourage people to hold events in their own homes. Claims data shows that family get-togethers and parties increase accidental damage and losses: for example Axa experienced a 78 per cent increase in claims for losses which occurred on New Year’s Day 2011.

In addition, bank holidays cause an increase in theft as many people are away from home: the 2011 August Bank Holiday prompted a 24 per cent increase in theft. This year there is an additional public holiday in June to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. And things are being made easy for burglars, with many people openly posting on social networking sites the fact that they are going away or that they will be out of the house as they’ve got tickets for the Olympics.

A spokesperson for Axa warned: “Around 20 per cent of homeowners have no contents insurance, leaving themselves very vulnerable in the face of a year of very real increased risk. But even those who have insurance in place need to make sure they don’t try to cut corners or are careless about their security or home maintenance as this could lead to a turned-down claim.”

If you’re having trouble with an insurance claim, then read about Morgan Clark’s home insurance claims service or call us on 0800 0975156.