Research conducted by Halifax Home Insurance has revealed that over one million British holidaymakers a year return home to find that disaster has struck, either in the form of burglary, vandalism or problems caused by the elements. The bill to put this right is expected to be £2.3 billion this year.

In the past ten years, 2.5 million of us have been burgled whilst away, costing around £820 million a year, to replace stolen items and repair the damage, whilst 600,000 of us suffered vandalism. Your home is not just vulnerable to damage by the criminal element however. In the last ten years an astonishing million people came home to find that their children had caused chaos costing £40 million a year to put right. Even house sitters are not a guarantee for peace of mind, with half a million in the last decade causing damage. Storm and fire damage affect an average of 80,000 homes a year whilst the utilities are yet another common cause of problems. Central heating, gas, electricity and water are together responsible for a bill of over £1.1 billion.

Unsurprisingly the Halifax cannot stress enough the importance of being properly insured but there are also other practical measures which can be taken. The BBC’s website contains advice from an ex-burglar, turned probation officer, who spent 18 years in and out of prison. He says he used to look for four things when choosing a house to burgle: one with single glazed windows and garden tools, bricks or other objects which he could use to force entry, one with no alarm or other security system, and insubstantial doors or windows. As well as making the house looked “lived-in” (lights and radios on a timer, neighbour’s car on the drive etc) it is also worth turning off the gas, water and electricity supplies if you are going away. Also leave contact details and a key with a trustworthy neighbour, preferably not marked with your address. That way if your neighbour falls prey to burglars, your house will not provide easy pickings as well.

So-called ‘bodge it yourself’ (BIY) Britons spend £670 million every year fixing home improvement disasters, according to the latest figures from Halifax Home Insurance.

With two bank holiday weekends falling in May this year, millions of Brits will have turned their hand to DIY this month. However the research from Halifax suggests that it is more a case of BIY than DIY for the 4.1 million people who see their home renovation dreams turn into nightmares every year.

The study also found that homeowners in the Midlands are the most liable to experience DIY disasters, with costs for bodged DIY jobs in that region alone amounting to a staggering £272 million every year. Conversely, the Scots are the most adept at handling their power tools, spending only £4.6 million a year (£146 on average a go) fixing DIY errors.

With Halifax estimating that 11 million households (46 per cent) are currently planning home improvements costing an estimated £153 billion in total (£13,800 per project), the insurer is urging homeowners to hire professionals for tasks they are not qualified for and ensure that they have adequate home insurance cover. Halifax estimates that 36 per cent of homeowners not have buildings cover and 22 per cent have no contents cover either.

“Whilst well planned and executed home improvements can add significant value to a home, getting it wrong can be a disaster,” explained Vicky Emmott, senior manager of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance. “We’d advise anyone planning any major improvements to their home to employ qualified and reputable tradesmen, rather than going it alone.”

“Indeed trying to tackle certain areas that you are not qualified for such as electrics or plumbing, could invalidate your home insurance and leave you liable for the cost of any subsequent damage,” she warned.

Figures from Lloyds TSB for last May indicate that there was a 20 per cent rise in accidental damage claims made during May, compared with previous months. In fact, records show that bank holidays lead to a spike in the number of claims year after year.

Jamie Oliver, not Handy Andy

A simple explanation for the high bill when it comes to DIY disasters could be that Brits, men in particular, are no longer as confident with a box of tools as they may once have been. According to research from Prudential Home Insurance, 44 per cent of adult males feel more comfortable cooking a meal than carrying out basic home improvements.

The insurer found that only a quarter (23 per cent) felt confident putting up shelves, while only 14 per cent believed they would be able to move a light switch or a plug. This trend could be a sign of changing times. Young adults (18-24 year olds) are the least likely to own DIY tools, while the over 60s are three times more confident (23 per cent) that they could change a plug compared to 25-34 year olds (seven per cent).

Phil Southgate, media relations manager at Prudential Home Insurance, said: “Spring bank holidays often entice men to dust down their toolkits and engage with a bit of home improvement. However, as very few men profess to being confident with DIY tasks, there are likely to be a number of wannabe Jamie Olivers well out of their comfort zone and at risk of doing a botch job.”

UK consumers are carrying as much £1000 worth of electronic devices and jewellery out of their homes on a regular basis and much of it is not insured.

With millions of mobile phones, MP3 players, laptops and digital cameras weighing down consumers’ bags and pockets across the land, it will come as a shock to many people that portable possessions are not covered by typical home contents insurance when they are taken out of the house.

New statistics from price comparison website moneysupermarket.com show that personal possession cover can be added to a home insurance policy for as little as £14.25 a year, and £36 a year on average.

Recent government figures, which reveal that the number of UK muggings rocketed in the last quarter of 2006, only serve to highlight the importance of being adequately covered.

Richard Mason, managing director of insurance at moneysupermarket.com, said: “It is essential for people to ensure, when carrying expensive items such as a laptop or MP3 player, they consider additional cover on top of their standard home contents insurance.”

“Jewellery, iPods, mobiles and laptops are particularly at risk because they are visible to any opportunist thief,” he explained.

He also recommended that consumers check their policy carefully to ensure that any additional possessions cover provides for extra expenses related to portable items, such as a new hard disk or graphics card purchased for a laptop computer, or the cost of an album downloaded from the internet.

“If you are in doubt you should contact your insurer and check what is offered on your existing policy and think carefully about extending this cover for your portable valuables.”

Most insurers will either repair or replace a possession if a claim is made on it as standard. However, in the event that this is not possible, insurers tend to stipulate the maximum value they will pay out in the policy’s small print.

In the case of expensive portable possessions such as laptops or jewellery, it is important that customers make sure the maximum limit stated is enough to fully cover the value of these items.

The maximum limit can vary tremendously between insurers. While Esure offers possessions cover up to £60,000, Norwich Union specifies a maximum limit of £1,500. A high powered digital camera or a particularly expensive watch could easily exceed £1,500 in worth, so it is vital that customers research policies carefully to find the deal most suited to their needs.

“It is always essential to read the small print of the policy too; make sure you can actually make a claim and the insurer will honour it,” Mr Mason advised.

“If you have your golf clubs stolen from the clubhouse while you have a shower, or you leave a jacket over the back of your chair and an iPod is stolen from the pocket, would you be covered?

“Check your home contents insurer is providing the level you need on personal possessions cover. And check you are paying a fair price for it.”

In the run-up to Britain’s wedding season, newlywed couples are being urged to check that their existing home contents cover will protect any wedding gifts they receive.

A recent online survey conducted by Churchill Home Insurance found that one in ten newlywed couples estimated that they received over £3,000 worth of wedding presents, and that the majority receive enough to inflate the value of their home contents by a significant amount.

“Newlyweds should consider the insurance implications of receiving such a large number of valuable gifts and the impact this could have on the value of their home contents,” said Frances Browning, a spokesperson from Churchill.

The research shows that each guest at a wedding currently spends an average of £60.31 on the perfect wedding gift. It takes only a small number of gifts to impact the value of a couple’s home contents value.

Although many people had unique gift ideas, the survey found that 33 per cent of wedding attendees still place their trust and money in kitchenware – everything from china and silver cutlery, to toasters, blenders and coffee machines – while 42 per cent of respondents gave vouchers, honeymoon donations and cash.

“With the average cost of a wedding gift at the £60 mark, newlyweds need only to receive around 50 gifts to see the value of their household contents increase by £3,000,” continued Ms Browning. “We urge all newly-married couples to check their home insurance policies to make sure they have adequate cover to suit their needs.”

Churchill Home Insurance offers all of its customers an automatic £4,000 worth of cover on wedding gifts in its home contents policy as standard. The cover is valid for four weeks leading up to a wedding, and for one month after.

“This means newly-weds have time to re-evaluate their home contents insurance cover when they’re back from honeymoon,” explained the Churchill spokesperson.

Some other insurers offer similar arrangements. For example, the contents cover included in Kwik-Fit Home Insurance increases by 10 per cent for 30 days before and after a wedding. It is always worth checking that this sort of feature comes as standard rather than as an optional extra.

Related research conducted by Direct Line Home Insurance suggests that same-sex couples tying the knot are even more liable to see the value of their home contents increase drastically. The firm found that same-sex wedding guests spend an average of £100 on gifts, substantially more than the £60 spent by those attending traditional weddings.

The research shows that the 15,000 civil partnerships that have taken place since December 2005 have cost a combined total of £62 million, and that each couple has received over £3,500 worth of gifts on average, but that no more than one in five couples were re-evaluating their home contents cover.

Carmel McCarthy, a spokesperson for Direct Line, warned: “Our research shows that more than three quarters of civil partners do not re-assess their home contents insurance. This is very unwise and means that couples may receive a nasty surprise when they return home to find they have been burgled.”