Bonfire Night Insurance Tips
October 29th, 2007
I guess it’s kind of sad writing about the need for insurance on bonfire night, but you can’t be too careful about things like this these days, and bonfire night has been shown to be the second worst day for fire damage (next to Christmas day!) and the worst for damage to cars.
If you are planning to have a few friends around to let off a few rockets, The Telegraph has written about what you need to check in your insurance documents. The summary of the tips is as follows:
- Individual party organisers who do not charge for admission will normally be protected by their household insurance, but make sure you read the small print first.
- Under the occupiers and personal liability section of your policy you are also covered if there are any personal accidents or injuries resulting from your party.
- HOWEVER - people holding parties should ensure they have checked their household policy for a “duty-of-care” clause. If you do need to make a claim, some insurers may raise this aspect of the contract as people will need to prove they took proper precautions. Claims may be affected, for example, if bonfires are built too close to the home, or if you use an accelerant – such as petrol – to light your fire.
- If for some reason you’d like to charge for entry to your fireworks display,you will need to obtain specialist cover before lighting the blue touch paper. You usually need to arrange this at least 14 days in advance.
Of course, the cheapest and safest way to enjoy bonfire night is to go to an organised display. Or shut the curtains, turn off the lights and try to ignore it all together.
