Private homeowners also benefit from insuring their gardens and garden equipment
In regard to insurance of real estate, most private homeowners still focus primarily on their residential buildings and the contents thereof. However, statistics show that renovation work on detached houses is often necessary for completely different reasons – landscaping structures. Sudden storms, heavy rain and domestic accidents can damage fences, terraces, greenhouses and trampolines. Data compiled by BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS (hereinafter referred to as BTA) shows that the average cost of damage to amenities amounts to €1 305, and owners of uninsured properties have to cover these costs from personal funds.
A greenhouse lifted into the air by gusts of wind lands on a fence surrounding the property, breaking its boards like sticks. A trampoline tips over, get off the ground and flies into a neighbor's yard. A tree broken by the storm falls onto the roof of a sauna, tearing a hole in it. Prolonged rain floods a terrace or a gazebo, damaging the garden furniture inside. The driver of a truck delivering firewood miscalculates the distance while manoeuvring in the narrow driveway and knocks down the fence gate. These are just a few of the hundreds of similar descriptions that BTA receives in claims from real estate insurance clients. There are particularly many such claims after strong storms, which have often caused many unpleasant situations in Latvia over the years.
"When choosing property insurance, owners should carefully assess all structures in the area and their location. If a greenhouse is located in an open field, there is a high risk that it could be destroyed by a storm. If there are old trees growing around a gazebo, it is very likely that a broken branch will fall on it one day. Lowlands are particularly prone to flooding during rainy seasons. That is why BTA Real Estate Insurance is all-encompassing – it can cover almost everything on your property, including solar panels and smartphones in your home. Together with Private Property Insurance, you can also purchase a home assistance kit, which will provide the services of a locksmith, plumber, electrician or even an arborist in case of an accident," promises Oskars Zvejnieks, director of the Risk Underwriting Department at BTA. Right now, you can get a BTA Real Estate insurance policy at a great discount – 20% off.
Statistics show that fences, terraces, and greenhouses are the most commonly damaged items. Insurance is also claimed for damaged gazebos, children's playhouses or playground structures and swimming pools.
The most active "villains" are trees growing on or near the property, which are uprooted or lose branches because of strong wind. Unfortunately, in densely built-up yards, it is usually some kind of landscaping structure or the residential building itself that suffers in a fall. More often than we would like, large objects such as trampolines and greenhouses are the ones to fly in a storm. Even if the owners have tried to secure them, single-piece structures act like sails, so the wind can easily lift them into the air.
Damage to property is also often caused by the residents themselves, through careless driving of cars or garden machinery.
