Butterfingers! 10 clumsy insurance claims revealed

Stats reveal almost a third (31%) of claims with one insurer were thanks to accidental damage. Digital devices – including mobile phones, computers and tablets – are the most likely to be the subject of a claim, followed by jewellery.

The insurer, Home Protect, also looked at the bizarre accidents that damaged their customers property. Half of the mobile phone claims were down to phones being dropped into the loo.

Here’s the full list of 10 clumsy claims

1. phone dropped in the toilet
2. phone dropped in cereal
3. phone melted on the radiator
4. garden fence trampled by a horse
5. someone tripped over a dog and spilt coffee on a laptop
6. a necklace was broken when vacuumed
7. a large plant pot was knocked over and damaged two sofas and a carpet
8. vacuum knocked over a music stand, which hit a TV and cracked the screen
9. somebody reversed into a garden wall, which is now close to collapse
10. a cup of coffee was hit by a lightsabre and knocked over a laptop.

It’s unlikely accidental damage cover will be included as standard on your home or contents insurance – so if you think you’ll need it you’ll need to pay extra.

Considering many homes now have numerous pieces of hi-tech kit, you need to consider if you could cover the cost to replace them if they were to break.

Not all accidental damage cover is the same, so check for the following.

• Excess – Each claim you make will come with an excess you need to pay, which could easily be £50 or £100. There will normally be one with the whole insurance policy, but there is sometimes an extra one on top with accidental damage. You can lower these, but doing this will increase the total premium.  
• Valuable limits – If more than one thing is damaged or lost in the year, the value could exceed what you’re allowed to claim for.
• Out of home exclusions – Another thing you might need to get as extra is cover away from the home.
• New for old – Not all policies replace broken items with a new model. They might try to fix it, or give you money for the current value, known as indemnity cover, which is often not enough to buy a brand new replacement.
• Making a claim costs you – If you do claim for a damaged item, it will mean you pay more for your insurance the next year.
• Pets might not be covered – Do read all the terms and conditions as you often find any damage caused by a pet is listed under exclusions.
• You might already be covered – Some banks offer gadget cover with their current accounts, so it’s worth making sure you’re not paying twice for the cover.