‘Mr. Bump Report': The cost of British home blunders

Many people have fond childhood memories of the Mr. Men cartoons, and can identify with one of the characters like Mr. Happy or Little Miss Sunshine. But research published by Tescocompare.com, reveals that 25 million Brits have more in common with Mr. Bump and Little Miss Calamity, having accidentally damaged their home or its contents in some way in the last five years.

The report from the recently launched home insurance service at Tescocompare.com, reveals that people living in the nation's capital are most likely to have had an accident in the home. In London 6 out of 10 have dropped something or spilt something, broken the TV, or broken a window - compared with 5 out of 10 in the East of England.

Mr. Butterfingers & Mr. Messy

The most common accident involves damaging carpets, curtains and furniture through spillages - with one in three (34%) admitting that this has happened to them in the last 5 five years. Second most common is dropping a household ornament with one in four of us (23%) admitting to having had a serious case of ‘butterfingers' in the last five years. Almost one in five of us (17%) have damaged an expensive electrical item - such as the TV or DVD player. And a surprisingly large number of us (6%) have dropped the iron and burnt the carpet or furniture.

Who is to blame?

The research also reveals who or what causes the accidents. The biggest cause seems to be horseplay, which results in one in four accidents - total bill £325 million - each year, showing Brits have a sense of fun.

Almost 2 million blundering Brits admit that someone having one drink too many has resulted in an accident in their house in the last 5 years. With the average cost per accident running at £267, that brings the cost of damages to £95 million per year. People living in flat-shares are 6 times (30%) more likely to damage their property because of drinking too much, compared to those living with a spouse or partner (5%).

‘Our children and other animals' are also responsible for millions of pounds of damage to our homes each year - with young children (those under 10) racking up a bill of £136 million each year - and pets causing a further £87 million in breakages.

The nation's fondness for DIY is also another major contributor to accidents - costing Brits £149 million each year in damage.

Patch it up

But unlike Mr. Bump who could patch himself up with white bandages afterwards, nearly a third (29%) of all Brits are without accidental damage cover for their home, or indeed any home insurance at all.

Commenting on the research, Paul Baxter of Tescocompare.com said: "As the saying goes accidents do happen - and this research suggests many of us suffer financial loses on an annual basis. You can insure against accidental damage - and the new home insurance service on Tescocompare will enable you to see what is covered, and what is not, in the event of an accident."

For more information, visit tescocompare.com.