UK Do-it-Yourself Projects End in Claims

Insurers in Britain may have a new data set to consider in their predictive analytics endeavors: the increase in claims due to personal lines property/casualty policyholders’ “do-it-yourself” (DIY) home improvements.

According to Confused.com, an insurance aggregator site, 53 percent of homeowners are doing their own home improvements due to an increase in living costs and decreased household incomes. The increase in claims are largely due to many of these projects ending in disaster, with 11 percent of those who ‘have a go’ at home improvements claiming on their home insurance policies.

The dip in earnings is confirmed in a recent study by the Institute of Fiscal Studies, which noted that households are looking at a 3.8 percent fall in earnings with data for the first 11 months of 2010-'11, marking the largest fall in disposable income since 1981.

As a consequence of this strain on income, homeowners in the UK are turning to DIY.

The aggregator says that television is also partly to blame, with the survey revealing that 39 percent of Brits claim to have undertaken home improvement work after watching DIY programs.

According to the insurance aggregator, homeowners in Scotland and the West Midlands are most likely to do their own home improvements, with 23 percent claiming partaking in DIY projects, compared with 11 percent in the North East.

Fifty percent of homeowners in Northern Ireland also claimed to have done a successful job, compared with 26 percent of homeowners in Wales, who said their inspirational home improvements looked dreadful. Even of the successful 26 percent of Welsh homeowners, if money were no object, 67 percent of them would pay someone to complete their DIY projects, notes the report.

Of all the UK homeowners surveyed, 31 percent of these budding DIY homeowners admitted to having DIY mishaps, and of these 31 percent, most disasters were taking place in households in Scotland (12 percent) and Wales (12 percent) resulting in home insurance claims.

Mark Gabriel, Confused.com Home Insurance spokesman, says: “with the economy so fragile, people’s finances are under more pressure and things aren’t getting any easier particularly with the rise in petrol and food prices. Therefore people have turned to ways of saving money and have been inspired by home improvement programs. However it is important to remember that television often makes tasks look easier than they are. In fact, some home insurance policies stipulate that only professionally accredited tradesmen should carry out certain work, so it is worth checking that you are not inadvertently rendering your insurance invalid by failing to read the small print.”

In an effort to reduce the number of claims that may arise as a result of these activities, Confused.com offers the following safety tips to help overzealous home improvers avoid self-inflicted mishaps.

Take your time: Make sure you take your time on a job. We know it’s coming close to Christmas and everyone wants their homes looking nice for the family and guests, but make sure you plan what you want to do and don’t rush a job as accidents can happen.

Don't undertake DIY alone: There should always be someone on hand, in case an accident happens.

Be aware of harmful fumes: When painting, or using any material that generates toxic fumes or dust, keep the room well ventilated. Never smoke while painting or standing close to a freshly painted area.

Dress for the occasion: Wear protective clothing including safety goggles, gloves and a dust mask when working with potentially hazardous materials, such as glass or spray paint.

Avoid electrifying results: If a job is beyond your capabilities, hire a professional. This is particularly important for any electrical jobs which should only be carried out by a qualified electrician.

Don’t cave in: Take care not to remove any load-bearing walls—with nothing to support it, a heavy roof could cave in and cause severe structural damage.

Be safe: Be extremely careful and check that the equipment carries British or European quality marks. If it comes with a safety manual, use it.

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