Unprotected Brits Left With Pounds Sterling 3.16 Billion Repair Bill From Winter Emergencies
More than one in four people (27%) were left counting the cost of the winter weather Two thirds did not have home emergency cover in place to cover the costs of rectification The average bill to repair property was Pounds Sterling 596
(firmenpresse) - LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwire) -- 12/02/11 -- The 2010/2011 big freeze, which resulted in the coldest December on record, caused broken boilers, burst pipes and central heating failures to around 7.1 million homes and cost an average GBP 596 to repair according to the AA's Home Emergency Response service.
The new research found that more than one in four people (27%) have so far suffered a home emergency over the winter months and around two thirds (65%) either did not have a home emergency policy or had their claims rejected as standard home insurance policies tend not to cover the cost of dealing with emergencies. The collective bill for these uninsured emergencies was GBP 3.16 billion or an average of GBP 596 for each household forced to pay for dealing with their misfortune out of their own pocket.
Home emergencies in Scotland were most costly to repair. Around 592,000 Scots say they suffered a home emergency over the bitterly cold Scottish winter, with repair bills averaging around GBP 1254 for those without home emergency cover.
Home emergencies were most widespread in the North of England where over a third (34%) of people found themselves having to fork out for expenses such as burst pipes, broken boilers, electricity failure or central heating breakdowns. Although the rate of occurrence was most prolific in the North of England, at GBP 372 the average repair costs were significantly lower than the national average.
The AA says that research indicates many emergencies can be prevented and a lack of maintenance around the home is to blame for many problems. The study found that more than half of people (51%) do not check for possible problems, fail to take action unless a problem arises or do not feel that home maintenance is a priority.
AA has suggested homeowners regularly take the following precautions to prevent emergencies resulting from winter weather.
Tom Stringer, Response, said: "Despite extremely cold winters for the last few years, so many of us are unprepared for the inevitable annual cold snap. People might mistakenly think their standard home insurance covers them for emergencies or simply that they won't be unlucky. Our research shows that things do go wrong with alarming regularity, particularly in winter, and the repairs bills can be very high. We would suggest that people look carefully at their home insurance policy and if they find they are not covered, they should look at stand-alone home emergency policies to provide them with complete peace of mind."
Notes to editors:
About AA Home Emergency Response
AA Home Emergency Response cover provides a network of approved tradesmen available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are no call-out charges or policy excesses and for work carried out under the policy, parts and labour are guaranteed. Cover is available to both existing AA members and non members.
Customers wishing to find out more information should visit: or call 0800 107 1031
Contacts:
AA Press Office
Sue Beeson
01256 492874
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Holly Clark
020 7282 2917
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Datum: 02.12.2011 - 19:00 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 93596
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
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Family
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