Consumer Corner: Accidents, break-ins and mishaps don't have to ruin your summer

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As you sip on your Aperol Spritz in the garden this summer the last thing, you will want to deal with is an insurance claim for something that has gone wrong. 

However accidents can happen and there are some claims that crop up over the summer from break-ins while you’re away, to barbecue fires, to damage to your garden furniture.

We all love a barbecue on a sunny evening but barbecue fires are something to be mindful of over the summer months, particularly in relation to underinsurance. 

Paul Walsh, CEO of Peopl Insurance said that if there’s serious damage to your home as a result of a barbecue fire getting out of control, your home insurance will usually cover the repairs but only if you’ve insured your home for the correct amount.

“With more people hosting barbecues in their gardens, a visitor to your home could become injured and then seek compensation. Most home insurance policies include public liability cover which protects you in such an event.” 

Jonathan Hehir, MD of insuremyhouse.ie and insuremycars.ie said that it is wise to check if you can rely on your home insurance to cover damage to, or the theft of, outdoor furniture or expensive garden maintenance equipment.

“Be careful about leaving your ride-on lawnmower, or any other expensive outdoor appliance, out in your garden. Some home insurers only cover theft of a ride-on lawnmower if it’s stolen from a locked shed. Even where a home insurer covers the theft of contents left in the open or from a locked shed, there may be a limit on the amount of cover available. Or it might be a requirement of the policy to list these items depending on value.” 

For anyone going away too on an extended holiday, it is important to be aware of any limitations of your home insurance policy.

“There is a limit in place in most home insurance policies on the amount of time you can leave your home unoccupied for before cover expires. This limit is typically between 30 and 60 days in a row, depending on the insurer. You may not be covered for any loss or damage to your property if you return home from an extended holiday,” said Walsh.

He also notes that while the weather is generally better in Ireland during the summer than any other time of year, we are not immune to the extreme weather events that are becoming so frequent now.

“There have been serious wildfires in Ireland in recent summers. Flooding and thunderstorms are also common and could cause severe damage to your home. So make sure the buildings sum insured, which is the most your insurer will pay if your home is damaged or destroyed and needs to be rebuilt, is sufficient. If you don’t have your home insured for an adequate amount, you could have to foot a big chunk of the repair bills, because your insurer will usually reduce its payout by the amount you’ve underinsured yourself by.”

As can often happen too when you are travelling abroad, if a strike hits while you’re on holiday, you could be delayed catching a flight or ferry home and even miss your flight or sailing.

“If a strike arises before you head off on vacation, it could scupper your entire holiday. Some travel insurance policies will cover you if you have to abandon your holiday, if you miss your flight, or if your holiday is delayed as a result of an unexpected work stoppage or strike at an airport or ferry port. But other travel insurers don’t cover strikes and with some policies, the cover is more restricted than others. So, it is very important to check the small print of a travel insurance policy before you buy,” said Walsh.

Hehir said too that unfortunately some of the most common summer insurance claims arise from break-ins while people are away on holidays.

“It’s very important to check that you haven’t underinsured your contents before you head away on holiday. Failure to insure the contents in your home for the correct amount could see you only getting a fraction of the payout you expect from your insurer if claiming after a burglary.” Also if you have an alarm make sure to turn it on when you’re away, particularly because there might be a condition in your home insurance policy which states that you should have your alarm turned on each time you leave the house.

“If you’re getting a discount for having a monitored alarm, make sure your alarm is still monitored. Another thing to be careful of is whether or not you’ll be covered if you’re taking a longer holiday than normal. Many insurers won’t cover you if your house is broken into after it has been left unoccupied for more than 30 days in a row, though with some insurers, the unoccupancy limit is 60 days. Check the number of days that your property is allowed to be unoccupied for before cover expires,” said Hehir.