‘My Son used my iPhone as a hammer’
School holidays apparently see a spike in insurance claims – kids cause an average £176 of home damage a year, according to insurance industry figures from Policy Expert.
More than a quarter of this damage is caused to paintwork and interior décor.
A survey of parents found that the top excuse for causing damage in the home is ‘It wasn’t me’ at 22 per cent. Other excuses included blaming ‘a swarm of bees’, saying ‘Peppa Pig and all of her friends started jumping on the sofa’, and that ‘the fairies told me to’.
Policy Expert says some insurers charge higher accidental claims premiums depending on the number of children living in the home.
In Hampshire, Jamie Feist’s 18 month old Henry used his Dad’s iPhone to do some home improvement. Dad said: ‘I restore vintage furniture and Henry is with me a lot of the time watching me sand down and hammer things. I think this has worn off on him a bit. On this one occasion Henry picked up the phone and tried to copy Daddy and used it as a hammer. By the time I’d grabbed the phone it was too late and he’d smashed the screen”.
Well, I sympathise with Henry: we’ve all felt like smashing our mobile phones on occasion.
Home rental damage assessors say the largest types of damage caused to properties are Kitchen doors and towel racks torn off (they are great for kids to swing on), and drawing on the walls. Toy boats in the toilet is also a popular way for kids to boost business for the plumbers. Holes in the walls, caused by tricycle accidents, can keep decorating companies busy.
Of course, you can get a machine for everything these days: this picture shows something called the Vertwalker, which has been featured in several galleries including the Saatchi.
It moves across your walls leaving marks a four-year-old would be proud of and reaches the top of the wall without balancing a chair on the dining room table.
When the damage gets too bad – call us for a quote on repairing the damage. We promise not to laugh.
Best regards
Geoff Parvin
