Halloween - Primetime for Home Insurance Claims

Halloween is a time to stock up on treats and to make other necessary arrangements such as finding a suitable costume and seeking out new types of pumpkin-orientated meals to try. But home insurance? Should that really be top of your agenda? Some financial experts are saying so.

Fairinvestment.co.uk has stated today that home insurance claims increase by 150% during Halloween in the UK alone. It seems that classic tricks of yesteryear may have been replaced by pranks that cost, and subsequently cause homeowners to claim.

Across the pond however, the link between Halloween and financial planning is even stronger. The so-called 'where there's blame, there's a claim' culture has led to financial research company Defaqto to warn that homeowners may well be liable if someone happens to get injured on their property.

Mike Powell calls for homeowners to check their home insurance policy, particularly if they own a dog, as most policies do not cover if a dog attacks a child on your property.

Broderick Perkins of examiner.com also writes of similar concerns. He highlights the importance of keeping your driveway well lit, and to do anything to lessen the likelihood that someone may claim that you were in any way negligent. He also reminds potential party hosts that they can be held responsible if a drunk guest injures anybody or damages property even after leaving your home.

The Insurance Information Institute has put together a list of tips to help everyone have a claim-free - and safe - Halloween. Some examples include: to make sure the kids have their own small torches; to set a trick or treating route to stick to; and to avoid accessories and loose fitting clothes. So no pitch-forks or bed-sheets then?

The idea that it seems to get statistically more likely that you'll end up making a home insurance claim year on year in the UK, and the fact that the very birthplace of the tradition is preparing itself for the possibility of claims from angry parents against homeowners is starting to put me off the whole affair - I wonder when this mentality will arrive here also.

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