Accidental damage claims involving children cost £500 typically, says Admiral

The insurer looked at 1,500 home insurance claims caused by children over the past year and found the average cost was £531.

Accidental damage claims involving children cost around £500 typically, according to analysis by Admiral (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Archive)

Accidental damage claims involving children cost around £500 typically, according to analysis by an insurer.

Just over four-fifths of such incidents involve damage to technology, Admiral found.

Items being dropped and accidents involving toys were among the main reasons for claims, with many cases relating to damage to televisions.

In one case dealt with by Admiral, a TV was damaged when a child’s karate classes moved online during lockdown. In another case, a TV screen was used as a drawing board.

Pasta sauce on a laptop and nappy cream smeared on sofas are also among cases the insurer has dealt with involving children.

Many parents will be expecting the house to get a little messy over the Easter holidays, but some will be faced with more

Noel Summerfield, Admiral

Noel Summerfield, head of household at Admiral, said: “Many parents will be expecting the house to get a little messy over the Easter holidays, but some will be faced with more.

“We’ve looked at 1,500 home insurance claims caused by children over the last year and found the average cost was £531.

“No doubt some parents will turn to tech at some point during the holidays to help keep the kids busy.

“This could explain why so many claims where kids were involved feature mobile phones, TVs, laptops, tablets and even VR headsets.

“When we analysed the data, we found that 81% of the claims involving kids mentioned damage to tech devices.”