Insurance World

Frozen squirrels, flying cows, invisible roundabouts and dogs with flatulence are some of the more freaky insurance claims around. Even house insurance isn’t always as straightforward as a leaking roof – how about roof damage caused by the downdraft of helicopter blades? It may sound like Mission Impossible but there are plenty of insurance claims that take the biscuit.

1)Furry friends

Forget humans, pets suffer from strange afflictions too. Some pet insurance claims aren’t as straightforward as a flea infection. Narcolepsy and flatulence are some of the more unusual ailments to bother our pooches. Although you’d be forgiven in thinking constant sleeping and flatulence were a given when it came to canine behaviour.

But the more unusual the complaint, the more costly it is to treat as it’s harder to diagnose than a straightforward dose of fleas.

2)Drive on the wild side

Even if it’s not some mysterious illness afflicting the nation’s animal population, they still get the blame for human trial and error. According to one top car insurer, freak animal accidents are one of the main causes of blame in bizarre insurance claims.

• A frozen squirrel got the heat for falling from a tree and breaking one driver’s windscreen.
• One herd of poor cows were pinned for licking paintwork from a car.
• Santa Claus must have been having an off day, but according to one parked motorist, a reindeer fell on his bonnet.
• A rather exotic case involved a zebra colliding with a car – in a safari park.
• Even the insect world is to blame – a wasp flew down one man’s trousers causing him to prang the car in front.

3)The cheek of it

Dubious claims against local authorities include a man insisting on a new pair of pants, after he claimed the closure of a bus station toilet led to him soiling his trousers.

One shoplifter even tried to sue after she fell down the stairs fleeing from the scene of a crime, and one motorist insisted he didn’t see the roundabout, despite the rather visible tree that featured in the middle of the roundabout.

4) Cat on a hot tin roof

One of the more unusual house insurance claims also involves our four-legged friends. A pet cat was sick on a TV and caused a house fire after the TV caught light. The property was seriously smoke damaged after Felix the cat’s unfortunate vomiting. Felix’s owner was left temporarily homeless, but don’t worry, Felix escaped from the fire unharmed.

5)Monkey business

Travelling can be full of adventure and of course exotic animals. Once more animals trump the top of the list when it comes to bizarre insurance claims – even when we’re on our holidays.

• One traveller’s imagination went wild when he asked his insurer if his travel insurance would cover any lost limbs in the event of a polar bear attack.

• Fraudulent claims include one couple blaming the apes on the rock of Gibraltar for pinching their camcorder – they later admitted they dropped it.

• One woman took her eye off the ball when she claimed five times for the loss of the same eye after various made-up mishaps.

Shopping for home insurance online is easy. There are a ton of websites that make it so easy to enter the proper information in order to give you an accurate quote. The home policy has less required information than the auto policy. Auto insurance depends so much on extensive driver and vehicle information. The homeowner policy depends on some basic information. The most important calculation is the actual square footage of your home. When you shop online they will want this information.

Insurance companies need this because they use various calculators to determine building costs per square footage. The online quote has a questionnaire that needs completed that will ask you some other valuable information that helps determine the replacement value of your home. Air conditioning and fireplaces increase property replacement values. The size of your deck or patio is also considered when determining the insurance amount. There are questions about your garage location. Finished basements increase the replacement value and the online quote will often ask you the percentage of your basement that is finished.

Prior insurance is important when shopping for insurance coverage for a home that you have been residing in for a while. You will be asked about your present insurance. Having insurance is a must when comparison shopping because it is stability and credit factor that will make the risk more acceptable for the insurance company. If you want personal items insured on a rider of some kind then you will most likely need proof of their value. Jewelry riders require recent appraisals and or receipts to prove their worth.

The online quote process may reveal something about your present coverage that you were unaware of. You may find that after you complete a replacement cost estimator with several companies that your home is either under insured or over insured. This is one of the great benefits of shopping online. It enables you to do some of your own research. Shop for homeowner’s insurance online. You will be pleasantly surprised.