Destination ‘Costa del Casa’: New data shows a huge increase in people looking to buy swimming pools, hot tubs and pizza ovens for their 2020 ‘garden-cations’

With millions of holidaymakers having to re-think their travel plans this summer, new Google Trends data suggests many will be creating their own personal holiday hot spots at home.

Compared to the week before lock-down, searches for hot tubs, swimming pools, fire pits, and pizza ovens have rocketed.

• Searches for above ground pools have increased 1600%
• Searches for hot tubs have increased 460%
• Searches for fire pits have increased 1050%
• Searches for pizza ovens have increased 575%

However, consumers looking to spend their holiday money on pools and hot tubs should be aware of the limited cover provided by some home contents insurance policies, both for garden theft and accidental damage.

Of the 400* home contents insurance policies GoCompare experts looked at, 33 (8%) did not provide cover for theft of garden contents left out in the open as standard. 47 (12%) policies provided a maximum of £250-£350 of cover and a further 35 policies (9%) provided cover of up to £500. 44 policies (11%) provided garden contents cover equal to the policy’s single item limit and the remainder provided cover ranging from £750 to £10,000.

Householders should also be aware that although 227 (57%) of policies included plants in the garden cover of £250 or more as standard, the cover usually extends only to theft of plants and not accidental damage. A 15ft diameter above ground pool can contain over 5000 gallons of water. If the pool should suddenly collapse, the mini-tidal wave could cause severe damage to surrounding plants, shrubs and maybe even fences and this damage is unlikely to be covered by your home contents insurance. If damage extends to neighbours, you may also be liable and uninsured for damage to their garden and property.

You may also be left deflated if your blow-up hot tub is punctured by an over-enthusiastic pet. Accidental damage to furniture and equipment left outside is rarely covered by additional accidental damage protection, even if you’ve paid extra to cover your home contents.

Lee Griffin from GoCompare commented: “Google Trends data suggests that lots of people are spending hundreds if not thousands of pounds turning their gardens into their own private holiday hideaways with pools, hot tubs, fire pits and pizza ovens being the top buys for those planning lockdown garden-cations.

“However, householders should consider that their new purchases will usually be left outdoors and open to being taken by unwanted visitors. There have been reports of inflatable hot tubs being emptied and stolen from gardens during the night. Whilst most home contents policies do give some protection for items left in your garden, the cover limit may not be enough to replace anything you might lose so it makes sense to check the cover you have when buying your home holiday equipment.”

GoCompare shares tips on keeping your garden and outdoor equipment safe

• Garden insurance will come under your contents policy and will cover things like plants, furniture and equipment left out in the open
• Levels of cover for sheds and gardens can vary enormously so read your policy with care
• Keep boundary hedges and fences well maintained - this will help deter opportunistic thieves
• Plant prickly shrubs or hedges as a defence
• Consider installing security lighting or CCTV
• Use a security pen to mark valuable items that are left in the open (garden furniture, hot tubs, ornaments and trampolines for example) with your postcode
• Avoid sharing images of your expensive outdoor investments on social media
• If you’ve got rare or exotic plants, statues or art in your garden, it might be worth looking at specialist garden cover.

More information on protecting the contents of your garden and shed can be found at

https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/shed-and-garden-insurance/

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For further information please contact:

Anders Nilsson or Louisa Marsden at GoCompare on 01633 654 054 / 01633 655 132

Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845

Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter: @GoCompare

Notes to editors:

*According to Defaqto Matrix of 400 home contents insurance policies (1 June 2020) - instant and unbiased market and competitor intelligence, from independent financial researcher Defaqto. Percentages are rounded up to the nearest whole number.

Google Trends data correct as at 04.06.2020 with search data taken from the week before lock-down (15^th -21^st March) to the week 24^th to 30^th May 2020.

About GoCompare

GoCompare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.

GoCompare does not charge people to use its services, and it does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. GoCompare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.

When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. GoCompare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest, and has teamed up with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.

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