Don’t Let Your Bonfire Night Fizzle Into an Insurance Nightmare

CHESTER, England, November 1, 2011 -

• Ensure your home insurance policy covers personal liability against damage and accidents
• Look out for your canine and feline friends too, says MoneySupermarket.com

With households across the country gearing up for this year’s Bonfire Night celebrations, MoneySupermarket.com urges people to make sure their home insurance policy includes adequate personal liability protection to insure them for any accidents, as otherwise the evening could go off with a costly bang.

Britain’s number one comparison site warns homeowners to check the small print of their home insurance policy for personal liability protection. Most insurers will provide cover for personal liability of £2,000,000, however this does vary across providers.^[1] According to statistics from BIS, over 6,600 people are injured in firework accidents each year, with half of these injuries happening to children under 16 ^[2]. If any accidents occur on your property, you could be liable for a personal injury claim, and not having enough personal liability cover in place, could leave you severely out of pocket.

Peter Harrison, home insurance expert at MoneySupermarket.com, said: “Bonfire Night is always an exciting event, with people across the UK hosting their own fireworks parties or attending public displays. To ensure these events run smoothly, it is important for people to remember that safety has to come first.

“For those hosting a fireworks party at home, it is essential to ensure your home insurance policy is up to date and that you have adequate personal liability cover. In the event of an accident such as someone getting burnt on the bonfire, you could find yourself liable for any injury or damage if you are not covered by insurance. In addition, you could find yourself facing a hefty payout. The same applies if you are at a friend’s party and are injured by a firework, as they will need to have adequate insurance to cover any claims.”

Protecting man’s best friend

Pet owners should also think about protecting their furry friends on Bonfire Night. Cover for pets is available from £73 a year for dogs and £40 for cats. Checking the small print of the insurance policy is crucial as levels of cover for vets fees and third party liability will vary.^[3]

Peter Harrison continued: “In the fun of firework season it is also important for pet owners to think carefully about ensuring their four-legged friends are protected from any potential dangers. This time of year is particularly traumatic and dangerous for animals, and owners should take steps to protect them. Fireworks can cause distress, disorientation and panic, which can in turn lead to accidents and animals going astray. Insuring your pet gives you the peace of mind alone they will be protected if they come into harm.”

MoneySupermarket’s top tips for staying safe this Bonfire Night:

• Keep a close eye on children. Ensure that they wear appropriate clothing, especially gloves, when near bonfires or sparklers
• If you have a Bonfire party, ensure that there is sufficient space between the fireworks and the guests. It is also advisable to not drink in excess, and to ensure that outside areas are well lit.
• Keep pets indoors. Close windows and curtains, and switch on music to drown out the noise of fireworks, and don’t forget smaller pets living outside, like rabbits and guinea pigs, can be brought inside for extra protection.

Notes to Editors:

Further safety advice and tips can be found at:

www.berr.gov.uk/fireworks/index.htm

^[1]Home insurance policies - personal liability cover:

                                                                   Maximum
    Insurer                    Cover Details                        Claim
    Churchill   Property owners liability - Churchill will pay  GBP2,000,000
              all amounts you become legally responsible for as
              a result of an accident which happens during the
               period of cover if someone is injured, falls or
              dies or if property is lost or damaged. The most
               Churchill will pay for all claims arising from
              one incident is GBP2,000,000. They will also pay
                all costs and legal fees for defending you as
                   long as this has been agreed in writing.
    The AA     Legal Liability - The AA will insure you for all  GBP2,000,000
              amounts which you have legal liability to pay as
              owner but not occupier for accidents which happen
                  in or around the property which result in
               physical injury to or illness of any person or
                loss of or damage to the property. There is a
              limit of GBP2 million for all claims arising from
              any one accident plus costs and expenses that The
                           AA agree to in writing.
    Halifax   Property owners liability - Your liability to pay  GBP1,000,000
              damages and costs for accidental death, disease,
              illness, or personal injury to anyone other than
                you or a member of your family or accidental
                 damage to physical property other than your
              property or that of a member of your family. The
               most Halifax will pay for any single event that
                   happens during any insurance period is
                                 GBP1,000,000. 

    Barclays    Your Liability to the Public - Barclays will   GBP2,000,000
                 cover your legal liability as owner of the
                buildings for damages, costs and expenses if
               anyone is accidentally injured or falls ill or
                  property is accidentally lost or damaged.
              Barclays will also pay for any defence costs and
                       expenses if agreed in advance. 

    Budget      Buildings Liability - Budget will pay up to   GBP2,000,000
                   GBP2,000,000 with regards to your legal
              responsibility to others as a property owner for:
              Which you are legally responsible as the owner of
                your property to pay to others in respect of
                damages or costs as the result of accidental
               death, disease, illness, or accidental physical
               injury to anyone other than the members of your
                  Household. Accidental damage to physical
                                property.

^[2]Department for Business, Innovation & Skills

webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.berr.gov.uk/files/file52770.pdf

^[3]Top five pet insurance policies for dogs and cats:

Pet Insurance for Dogs (1-2 Years)

                                                      3rd Party
    Insurer           Policy     Premium   Vet Fees*  Liability*
    E&L               Silver     GBP73.43  GBP3,500  GBP1,250,000
    Argos             Silver     GBP94.77  GBP2,500  GBP1,000,000
    Animal Friends    Basic      GBP80.64  GBP3,000  GBP1,000,000
    Marks &
    Spencer           Standard   GBP89.28  GBP4,000  GBP1,000,000
    PetPlan           Essential GBP161.28  GBP3,000  GBP1,000,000
                      Average    GBP99.88
    *Benefit subject to excess

Sourced by www.moneysupermarket.com on 27.10.2011

Pet Insurance for Cats (1-2 Years)

                                                     3rd Party
    Insurer           Policy     Premium  Vet Fees*  Liability*
    E&L               Silver     GBP40.35 GBP3,500      None
    Argos             Silver     GBP57.91 GBP2,500      None
    Animal Friends    Basic      GBP57.24 GBP3,000      None
    Marks &
    Spencer          Standard    GBP79.08 GBP4,000      None
    PetPlan          Essential   GBP96.36 GBP3,000      None
                     Average     GBP66.19
    *Benefit subject to excess

Sourced by www.moneysupermarket.com on 27.10.2011

moneysupermarket.com’s customer commitment

• No other site compares more prices or products
• We are independent so only find the best deals for you   
• The price you see is the price you pay - you don’t need to go direct and you won’t get a better deal doing so   
• Your details are safe with us and we won’t sell them to anybody

moneysupermarket.com compares (at 22^nd September 2011)

• 101 car insurance providers and 78 home insurance providers
• 13 broadband providers and 18 energy providers   
• 29 unsecured loan and 5 secured loan providers
• 62 mortgage lenders and 29 credit card providers
• 70 savings providers and 35 current account providers.
• Over 810,000 mobile phone deals

We promise to be clear and impartial

• All the products in our full search results tables are displayed in a completely unbiased manner.
• We don’t add fees or commissions on to the prices we compare.
• There may be times when another site compares more companies than us on a particular product, perhaps because of market changes or technical issues. You’ll be able to see this and know we are working hard to fix it.

We promise to be trustworthy

• We never use your data to make unwanted sales calls or send you spam.

For further information, please contact: 

Nicki Parry
PR Officer
+44(0)1244-370318
nicki.parry@moneysupermarket.com

.