Lloyds TSB Insurance reveals UK gardens are little goldmines

The UK’s gardens are turning into little goldmines crammed with exotic plants, hi-tech tools and luxury furniture worth a whopping £18.6 billion*, new research by home experts Lloyds TSB Insurance reveals.

The Lloyds TSB Insurance survey into the nation’s backyards found that the contents of the average garden are worth £1,237, while one in ten gardens (10%) is filled with goodies worth over an incredible £3,000. In a typical garden, the most expensive single item is on average £426 but one in 20 gardens (5%) has a single item over £1,000.

With spring well and truly sprung, Brits can’t seem to get enough of their outdoor space. One quarter of Brits (26%) enjoy more than six hours a week in their garden during the spring and summer months.

One third (33%) of gardens have ornamental plants, one quarter (25%) have statues and ornaments while one in five (22%) have a water feature. Almost one in ten (7%) have a patio heater while 6% have a sun house.

And Brits plan to splash out further on their gardens this summer. Half (50%) spend £200 on their garden every year while 3% spend over £750. Top of the gardener’s ‘wish list’ for 2008 is a wallet-busting hot tub, followed by decking and water features.

But despite spending so much on their gardens, most Brits don’t know whether they are insured properly. Over half (55%) have never checked that their garden contents are included on their home insurance policy, while 87% don’t review the value of their gardens each year to make sure they are covered. But Lloyds TSB Insurance warns that accidents do happen. Last year, the insurer processed 5,244 garden claims with an average value of £726.

Phil Loney, managing director, Lloyds TSB Insurance said; “Everyone knows that we Brits are a nation of green-fingered garden lovers who like nothing better than spending time in the great outdoors. It’s hard to put a price on the pleasure of a barbeque on a summer’s evening but gardeners should stop to think exactly how much their backyards are worth.

“With all the gadgets and goodies that are available, they can quickly add up and gardeners run the risk of being under insured. A typical garden claim for Lloyds TSB Insurance is over £700; but in our survey, Brits estimated their backyards to be worth on average £1,237. Home insurance policies vary greatly and often have limits on how much they cover outside. Take time to calculate the value of everything outdoors and choose a policy to suit your gardening needs.”

Top 10 garden wish list for summer 2008
1 - Hot tub
2 - Decking
3 - Water feature
4 - Table and chairs
5 - Green energy i.e. wind turbine
6 - Outside lighting
7 - Gas BBQ
8 - Ornamental plants
9 - Swing seat
10 - Sun house

Lloyds TSB Home Solutions policy has been awarded ‘five stars’ for quality of cover by Defaqto, an independent financial product research company. The contents insurance policy covers loss or damage to growing trees, shrubs or plants following fire, theft or vandalism up to £250 per plant and up to £1,000 for any event. It also covers for loss, damage and theft of items in the open within the boundary of the home up to £1,000 for any one event. Lloyds TSB building insurance automatically covers wind turbines, solar panels, sun houses and hot tubs.

Mike Powell, of independent financial research company, Defaqto added, “Our research shows that less than one third of the home policies available on the market cover contents in the garden up to £1,000 and only one in five covers at least £1,000 for garden plants. Garden cover is a valuable benefit and when choosing a policy, consumers should take care to understand the extent of the cover on offer.”

-ends-

Notes to editors

* There are 15 million gardens in the UK according to www.english-nature.org.uk
1033 UK consumers were surveyed by tickbox.net in March 2008

Lloyds TSB PR contact:
Eleanor Ross
Lloyds TSB Press Office
Lloyds TSB Group plc
25 Gresham Street
London
EC2V 7HN
020 7356 1714

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Eleanor Ross

Lloyds TSB PR contact

Lloyds TSB Press Office

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