Press Room

Partying Brits Neglect to Protect Homes
(28 November 2005)

With Christmas around the corner, Brits could face huge bills if their guests have an accident on their property, according to a new survey by NatWest Home Insurance. What's more, a fifth of Brits neglect to insure their property at all, and of those who do, a further quarter aren't aware that they could be held liable if an accident involving another person happened on their property.

Although home insurance was high on the agenda of 80% of people surveyed, 20% admitted to not insuring their property at all, meaning that not only were this 20% leaving themselves open to losing everything by fire or theft, but they also risked not being covered if a guest in their home had an accident.

Just under a third of respondents in the South East admitted that they didn't have any home or contents insurance compared with 12% in the South West. What's more, of those respondents who rent a property, a staggering 44% had no insurance to protect their belongings if disaster strikes.

The most important thing for 40% of homeowners when choosing a policy was that it provided financial cover against damage to their home and protected the value of their contents (15%). What's more, the loss and damage of personal possessions away from the home (20%) also figured highly in the key requirements for home insurance.

The average Brit has five parties each year and invites approximately 120 visitors into their home. Surprisingly however, the over 65's are the most party going, holding about nine parties each year and inviting 96 visitors in to their home each year.

Bob Trinder, Head of NatWest Insurance Services, said: "Insuring your property against all eventualities is vital and it is concerning to see that over a fifth of Brits neglect to buy insurance at all. What's more, in the upcoming party season, a good home insurance policy will protect you against any accidents that happen both to your belongings and to any guests in your home."

For more information about NatWest Home Insurance, call 0800 051 54 50 or visit www.natwest.com.

Notes to Editors:

  • The research was carried out by ICM Research in September 2005.
  • A representative sample of 1,007 adults were interviewed.
  • Products are underwritten by UK Insurance Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority