Which area has worst holiday home renters?

Holiday home

Oh dear Cumbria, research says you have the worst behaved holiday home renters. So come on all those people who visit the beautiful Lakes, just look after the properties a bit more.

There are more damage claims by owners in the region than anywhere else in the UK, according to insurance provider Schofields. Homes in Cornwall got some rough treatment too, coming in second in the list of claims over the past 12 months.

And top items damaged are electrical items, furniture and bathroom units. Schofields (www.Schofields.ltd.uk) specifically looked at claims relating to damage caused by guests. And here are the results:

  1. Cumbria – 15% (of all damage claims made in the past 12 months were for homes in this region)
  2. Cornwall – 12.5%
  3. Devon – 11%
  4. Lancashire – 9%
  5. Pembrokeshire – 8.3%
  6. Powys – 8.1%
  7. Kent – 7.5%
  8. Aberdeenshire – 6.2%
  9. Norfolk – 5%
  10. Dorset – 4%

In contrast, guests of holiday homes in the Isle of Wight were shown to be amongst the best behaved – just 1% of all insurance claims made in relation to guest damage in the past 12 months.

The most common types of guest damage claimed for through Schofields in the past 12 months were also revealed as follows:

  • Damage to electrical items – 26%
  • Damage to furniture – 18%
  • Damage to bathroom units/ porcelain- 15%
  • Damage to upholstery – 12%
  • Damage by pets – 10%

Phil Schofield, spokesperson for Schofields Holiday Home Insurance, said: “It’s incredibly interesting to keep an eye on our claims data to see if we can see any trends emerging; and it was clear from the claims being made in relation to damage that the North West was home of the worst behaved holiday home guests.

“Damage claims relate to damage caused to the holiday home that isn’t covered by the deposit, so more serious than the usual crockery damage or spills; and are usually a sign that guests are having a little too much fun, or simply aren’t respecting the home that they’re staying in. Whilst there’s little in place to protect home owners against badly behaved guests, having the right insurance cover in place is vital to protect your holiday home and its belongings.”