Most common DIY insurance disasters

The dangers of DIY

Doing it yourself can be dangerous. Accidents involving DIY mishaps are all too common, but it isn't just your personal safety that you put at risk but the safety of your home as well. The summer bank-holiday season is already upon us, and this is typically the time of year when many of us decide to dust off our tool-belts and make improvements to our home. It's also when the A&E fills up with ill-fated DIY-ers and house renovation insurance hotlines light-up with all the extra DIY claims.

It is estimated that out of the millions of DIY attempts made in a single bank holiday weekend, thirteen percent will go wrong in one way or another. This worrying figure leads to an even more concerning statistic, as the cost of these collective home improvement blunders will amount to somewhere in the region of £170 million pounds. This is bad news for homeowners trying to add value to their homes and to their home renovation insurance providers.

Underestimation of the time spent

Topping the list of DIY damages caused at any given time, is the underestimation of the time or cost of a project to see it through to completion. This might constitute damage in itself, but can lead to other negative consequences over time. An easy way to avoid making this mistake is to consult a professional contractor before undertaking anything more than light cosmetic refurbishment. Doing this can potentially save you a lot more than the savings you'd make doing the job alone, especially when you consider the long-term impact an accident could have on your renovation insurance.

Cracks in the wall

Damaging walls is next on the list followed closely by damage to ceilings. After these problems comes damage to floors, floor coverings and furnishings. But these issues pale in comparison to the trouble you could run into when you damage your pipes, your lofts or your electrical system (which all feature in the lower half of the top ten DIY disasters). When plumbing damage is caused, the costs of repair can be quite high and a home renovation insurance claim is likely to be costly.

Raising the value of your property

But is all the effort and potentially dangerous DIY work really worth it? Possibly not… In some cases a home improvement can help raise the value of your home, but it seems likely that the positive impact may not be as noticeable as it was in the recent past. An average loft conversion still raises value the most, adding around sixteen thousand pounds, but this is down twenty three percent from 2011. Adding a conservatory seems to be the best improvement to have this year, adding an average of nearly nine and a half thousand, and is an increase of fourteen percent from 2011. Whatever improvement you chose, you must have valid house renovation insurance in place.

Insurance

With homeprotect you can get a competitive quote for renovation insurance regardless of what improvement you are undertaking. Because renovation work is considered a "material fact", you must disclose to your insurer whenever you are having work done. Unfortunately, many mainstream insurers are unwilling or unable to extend your cover to include home renovation insurance. This is not the case with HomeProtect, as we will aim to provide you with house renovation insurance whenever you require it.