Claims Ireland

The Most Common Home Insurance Claims

Problems with pipes and plumbing are the biggest headaches for Irish households, topping the list of the most common things to claim for on home insurance policies.

Whether you're a home owner or tenant, home insurance is an absolute must. Without contents insurance, your prized possessions are at risk, while not having buildings insurance could prove disastrous for home owners during storms or floods.

And since snow, storms and floods have swept the country recently, insurers have been swamped with extra claims this winter.

So what are we most likely to make a claim for? Aviva, one of Ireland’s largest insurers, has compiled a list of the ten most common claims made against home insurance policies.

1. Escaping water
2. Storm
3. Accidental damage
4. Theft
5. Fire
6. Subsidence
7. Flood
8. Malicious damage
9. Impact damage
10. Freeze

As you can see, water leaks come top of this survey, which makes pesky pipework and plumbing problems the most common cause of claims against household policies. Next comes storm damage, followed by accidental damage (for example, spilling paint onto carpets or dropping an appliance) and then theft and fire (ranging from small cigarette burns to major house fires).

Water, water everywhere

Although flooding takes only seventh place in this list, the cost of a claim following a serious flood can be huge, reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds. Likewise, subsidence gets only sixth place, but subsidence claims are almost never trivial.

Aviva's report goes on to warn that while a leaking pipe is often a relatively minor issue (in comparison to fire and flood, for example), it can ultimately cause a major problem costing an average of £3,500. For instance, a prolonged leak while your home is empty could lead to substantial damage and a hefty insurance claim.

At this time of year, a frozen pipe in the loft can quickly become a burst pipe. This causes water to gush down through the house, ruining furnishings and belongings along the way and, in some cases, bringing down ceilings. For home owners, this can mean months of disruption while their homes are dried out and repaired.

For buildings insurance, storm damage is the top claim, with weather-damaged roofs, lost tiles and collapsed chimneys being major causes of damage.

Has Your Property Been Damaged?

At Claims Ireland, we can ensure that your property is fully and independently assessed to ensure that all you and you families losses are included in any claim.

If you have suffered loss through one of the above scenarios, please contact us for a free assessment.

Please note that Claims Ireland do not charge you at all for the assistance provided.