Author: James Cooper

We are a nation of animal lovers. We love our pets dearly, especially cats and dogs. They offer companionship and comfort to millions thoughout the UK and are treated like members of our own family. So which ones would cause the most damage to your home?

To mark National Cat Day on October 29th, Admiral has looked at claims involving cats, and dogs to see which cause the most accidents and which could potentially cause the most headaches for proud homeowners.

Homeowners who want to get a pet but can’t decide between a cat and a dog might want to consider new research carried out by insurance expert Admiral. It has looked at all home insurance claims involving dogs and cats in the last year and has found dogs are a much bigger liability. In fact doggy disasters outnumber feline cat-astrophes by four to one.

In its research,  Admiral looked at all its home insurance claims involving cats in the last year. It identified 51incidents caused by cats. Over the same period, its customers had registered 195 claims due to dogs.

Was the difference because there are more pet dogs than pet cats in the UK? Well according to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association there are around 16 millions dogs and cats in the UK, with dogs accounting for slightly more than half of them at 53%. So why did dogs account for 79% of all the accident claims Admiral received involving the two animals?

John McSherry, head of Household Claims at Admiral, gave his insight: “Our data suggests dogs are just more accident prone than cats. So if you’re house proud, are looking to get a pet and can’t decide between Fido or Mittens, I’d suggest you go for a feline friend.

That said, a dog can deter potential burglars, and while I’ve known some feisty cats in the past, I’m yet to meet a guard cat. I guess you just need to decide what you want from your pet and do what you can to prevent accidents involving either of them happening in the first place.”

The view that dogs are the more accident prone is supported by the types of claims involving the two different animals. Those caused by cats tend to involve them knocking things off shelves and tables, in particular, glasses of red wine or iPads and tablets. The other common cause of cat related claims is clawed furniture.

Dogs on the other hand tend to cause damage with their teeth, with phones and glasses being particularly popular. Dogs also tend to get over-excited and knock over furniture. And there is the problem that dogs are more likely than cats to have ‘accidents’ of their own around the home. This is probably because it’s a lot harder to teach one to use a litter tray!

Admiral has gone through all the claims to choose some of the more unusual cat and dog related ones.

Ten cats who have had better days

1. The cat who brought a pigeon into the house and ate the head on its owners peach coloured carpet
2. The cat who knocked over red candles during a power cut and walked the wax through the living room
3. The cat who came in with red paint on its paws and left a trail around the entire house
4. The cat which made its owner jump so much when she jumped up onto the kitchen counter where he was working, he spilt wine over his laptop and knocked it onto the floor
5. The cat who went to investigate when it’s owner discovered a leak under his bath and subsequently fell through the water damaged floor
6. The cat who attacked a black candle on its owners mantelpiece, realised the wax was hot and flicked molten wax all over the carpet below
7. The cat who knocked a full bottle of red wine all over a brand new, light grey carpet
8. The kitten which managed to turn on the hot water tap in a sink that had the plug in, causing the sink to fill and overflow
9. The cat which attacked its owner’s foot as he was carrying his laptop and filling the bath. Needless to say, the laptop got wet
10. The cat which repeatedly jumped against the glass in the French doors, eventually cracking the glass

Ten doggy disasters

1.The German Shepherd, weighing 33 kg who stood on its owners glasses, breaking them
2. The dog who got hold of a can of engine oils and emptied it over its owners stairs and landing
3. The dog who managed to switch on the hairdryer while its owners were out. The hairdryer was on the sofa and melted hole in it
4. The puppy whose owner is a model maker, who got hold of a small pot of red paint which he dragged through the hall and up the stairs
5. The dog which chewed two hearing aids belonging to the gentleman who was dog-sitting him, causing irreparable damage
6. The two dogs who got excited when their owner was painting the skirting boards, tripping her up and sending the pot of gloss flying over the sofa
7. The poor dog who gets separation anxiety and chewed holes in its owners carpet when left alone for an hour
8. The dog who gave birth to seven puppies while on her owners carpet
9. The dog who got over-excited when it saw another dog on the TV, jumped up and knocked it over, cracking the screen
10. The dog who knocked over a 30 litre fish tank in its owners dining room

According to a new report from Co-op Insurance, one in five of us have been involved in a neighbour dispute – almost half (46%) of which are still unresolved.

‘A portrait of the modern British community’ provides a striking snapshot into neighbourliness and the changing shape of communities in 2016.

Of those who have experienced nuisance neighbours, excessive noise was by far the biggest single cause of residential issues nationally, with over two fifths of Brits (41%)experiencing noise related issues, including stomping around the house, loud arguments and late night parties. Nearly one in four (22%) have suffered rude or abusive neighbours and a further 21% have had problems with barking dogs or wars over parking (19%).

Regionally, London and Birmingham has by far the highest number of neighbour issues, with a quarter (25%) of those questioned saying they have encountered some form of nuisance neighbour during the past year. The most harmonious place in Britain is Milton Keynes, with only 7% of those asked recording a dispute with their neighbour, compared with the national average of 20% – perhaps a legacy of its new town status.

The research shows Brits’ ideal neighbour would behave respectfully at all times and is the top trait that characterises a good neighbour (77%), followed by being tolerant and understanding of other residents’ needs (75%).

With 99% of the population having neighbours, you’re almost sure to always find someone living next door, however nearly one in twenty (4%) Brits go a month without ever seeing their neighbour, whilst for 12% of Brits they wouldn’t even know who their neighbours were if they bumped into them on their street.

Gone are the days when neighbours would have homely conversations over the garden fence or nip round for a brew and a natter, as only one in five Brits (19%) have been invited round for a cup of tea. Surprisingly it’s men who are most likely to have visited a neighbour’s house, with over two-thirds (68%) admitting to stepping foot inside their neighbours home, in comparison to 65% of females.

A generation gap is also apparent as half of under 35s have never set foot inside a neighbour’s house, in comparison to four out of five (77%) of over 55s who have.

We are of course a nation famed for our politeness but could our ‘British reserve’ actually be putting that polite reputation on the line? It would seem so, as less than 30%, of Brits would go round and introduce themselves to new neighbours, with nearly half (48%) preferring to just bump into them, while one in six (16%) would do nothing and almost one in twenty (3%) would just ignore them completely. Although over 75s are more than twice as likely (48%) to introduce themselves compared to under 35-year-olds (20%).

Top neighbour disputes

Now that silly season is over and people are settling back in after vacations, if you are contemplating or trying to sell or let a property it’s a good time to take stock of the situation and plan the way forward.

October and November are usually active months for property so it’s a good idea to make the most of them and try to get your property sold or let before Christmas when the market usually stalls.

With the current economic climate, uncertainty over Brexit, levels of Stamp Duty Land Tax and the punitive added taxation for investors and second home buyers, residential property – particularly in London and the South East – is going through a period of readjustment.

It has become apparent over the last few months that even slightly overpriced properties have struggled to achieve sales or rentals. Although there are numerous other forces at work, the internet may also have some part to play. This tool can prove a powerful friend but also a brutal enemy. With the transparency provided by the property portals it is almost impossible to hide the promotional record of a property, thus allowing anyone who is interested to establish the first date of advertising, any price reductions and other information that may give prospective interested parties historic data to use when considering an offer, or during negotiations.

In a rising market these facts may not be so important, but during periods of stagnation or falling price levels, they may be used as a weapon to beat prices down. Consequently during these cycles of hesitation it is essential to make sure that all marketing is strategic, well considered and engineered.

It is certainly not all doom and gloom, as irrespective of the world events and economic ” bulls and bears”, people need to buy, sell, rent or let for various reasons. As a result, there will always be successful deals, although currently perhaps not at the prices or volumes previously enjoyed.

Here are a few suggestions that may help you achieve an autumn transaction:

1. Make sure that you have realistic asking price
2. Keep the property clean and tidy
3. Make repairs to anything that is visibly broken, also touch up scuff marks (but don’t try to hide defects)
4. If you have a garden, keep it well tended
5. On colder days, warm the property through, even for an hour to take away any chill
6. Open windows on brighter, warmer days unless there is extraneous outside noise
7. Ensure that the property smells fresh
8. Remove pets (if possible), such as dogs and cats when conducting viewings
9. Leave the agent to conduct viewings and remove yourself into an alternative room or, go out if you can
10. Make sure that there are keys available for all outside doors and, if providing keys to the agents, that they work
11. If you are away please ask the agent to pick up the post and switch on or off the central heating, so that the property looks and feels lived in and cared for
12. Lastly if you will not be home or the property has been vacated, let the agent know so that he or she can go to the appointment earlier to arrange to switch on lights, open or close curtains etc.

If you do receive an offer get back to your agent as quickly as possible with an answer, even if its negative, so that while buyers or tenants are still interested negotiations may continue:

Employ a good and proactive solicitor
React in a timely fashion to any requests for further information
Have all the required documents such as, insurance papers, guarantees, deeds (if you can), a copy of your lease, service charge payments or invoices, planning permission, etc. available and ready for early access
Make sure that all the curtains and blinds are up, during the day to bring in the light
For evening viewings put lights on in every room and light the front path and rear garden, so that they look attractive and viewers don’t trip over an unseen hurdle.
Remember the old adage “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”.