It’s no surprise that the sales of hot tubs increased significantly during the pandemic last year – by over 1000% in one particular week. When there was little else to do, holidays abroad mostly cancelled, and the only place we could venture to during lockdown was to the garden, it was clear that people wanted a little bit of relaxation and luxury at home. Added to this was the wonderful weather we experienced at the time.
Increase in hot tub claims
However, with an increase in hot tub or home spa ownership comes the increase in claims. Only a couple of weeks ago, according to an article in This is Money, Aviva reported that accidental damage claims relating to hot tubs were up by 213%*. As you might expect, some of the higher claims pay outs came from hot tubs worth over £10,000, with lower value coming from inflatables.
Some claims arose from mobile phones or tablets being knocked into the water, and damage to the hot tub from engagement rings and birds pecking at the cover, but surprisingly, a small number of claims resulted from thefts!
How to keep your hot tub, and your belongings safe.
Careful positioning – consider where in your garden your hot tub will be best placed. Avoid it being near to trees that could damage it in a heavy storm, or indeed other garden furniture or equipment that could tip over such as light swing seats and parasols. If you’ve not yet bought a hot tub, make sure installation and training is included.
Guard your gadgets – whilst it might be tempting to relax in the hot tub whilst scrolling through Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, a minor lapse in concentration could see your much-loved device get damaged and waterlogged if it falls in. Of course, if you’ve got the latest iphone, you might be ok, but watch it doesn’t slip out of your wet hands and on the floor.
Remove jewellery – sharp objects such as engagement rings have been known to rip linings or covers. And of course, you don’t want to be damaging any non-waterproof watches, so it’s best to remove any items of jewellery that might cause damage to your hot tub.
Garden gizmos – if you’re doing a spot of gardening, make sure that your grass strimmer doesn’t take a chunk out of your inflatable, or if you’re carrying out some maintenance on your hot tub, that you don’t damage it with any tools such as screwdrivers.
Safe storage – as mentioned earlier, thefts of hot tubs can and do happen, despite their size and bulk. As costly and often high-end items, some criminals feel it’s worth taking if the right opportunity presents itself.
Maintenance – general wear and tear won’t be covered on your home insurance policy, so it’s important to keep up regular maintenance on your garden investment.
Update your insurance – if you’ve forked out a few thousand pounds for a brand new hot tub, you’ll need to let your insurer or insurance broker know so they can update your policy and ensure you’re fully cover, should something go wrong.
This is a marketing article from A-Plan Insurance.