LONDON, April 2, 2026, 19:11 BST
Aviva said on Thursday that accidental damage made up 32% of home insurance claims in its data over the past four years, the most common claim type in the insurer’s book, while the average accidental-damage claim rose 63% to 1,869 pounds in 2026 from 1,148 pounds in 2022. The company released the figures ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend. 1
That matters now because Britain’s home insurers are still dealing with heavy property payouts even as policy prices soften. The Association of British Insurers said property claims hit a record 6.1 billion pounds in 2025, the average home claim rose 15% to 6,000 pounds, and the average combined buildings-and-contents premium in the fourth quarter fell to 379 pounds. 2
Accidental damage cover is usually sold as an optional extra on buildings or contents policies. Aviva said it is designed for sudden, one-off mishaps rather than wear and tear or poor maintenance, and Laura Lazarus, its director of home and lifestyle claims, said “Easter weekend is usually a busy time of the year” when family visits, spring cleaning and odd jobs can become “an accident waiting to happen.” 1
Televisions accounted for 18% of Aviva’s accidental-damage claims, while damaged sofas and carpets made up 8%. Children were linked to about 8% of cases, the insurer said. 1
The update lands a month after Aviva reported 2025 operating profit of 2.2 billion pounds, up 25%, helped by its Direct Line combination and higher insurance premiums and wealth inflows. The tie-up made Aviva a bigger force in British home and motor cover. 3
Competitive pressure is still there. Rival Admiral posted a 16% rise in annual pretax profit in March, and Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Matt Britzman wrote after Aviva’s results that the Direct Line deal had strengthened Aviva’s positions in UK motor and home insurance even if “2026 will be tougher” for general insurance. 4
But smaller accidents are not usually what drive the sector’s biggest swings: Aviva’s figures reflect its own claims data, not the whole market, and the ABI said weather-related property claims reached 1.2 billion pounds in 2025; Chris Bose said the record payouts showed “the toll” that more severe weather is taking on UK homes and businesses. 1
Deloitte insurance partner Cherry Chan said premiums are expected to fall in 2026 even as claims rise, leaving insurers to juggle customer affordability, regulatory pressure and shareholder demands. Aviva is due to publish its first-quarter trading update on May 14. 5
