Aviva reveals most common claims involving garden plants

Authored by Aviva

• Impact, such as vehicles crashing into gardens, accounted for 50% of garden plant-related claims
• In one unusual claim, a herd of cows trampled a customer’s garden and ate their pot plants
• Claims also include fire damage, theft and malicious damage
• With the average cost of relandscaping domestic gardens increasing, Aviva has enhanced its insurance limits to provide greater cover for customers

With spring well underway and British gardens in full bloom, Aviva is urging people to protect their precious gardens and plants, after its internal claims data revealed numerous garden plant claims over the last five years, with the average cost incurred amounting to thousands of pounds.

According to the data, ‘impact’ was the most common plant-related insurance claim, accounting for a whopping 50% of claims, with the majority of damage resulting from out-of-control vehicles crashing into customer’s gardens, destroying hedgerows, flowers, and expensive plants like olive trees.

However, in one very unusual incident, a customer had their fence and garden trampled by a herd of cows, with some of the cattle proceeding to snack on their pot plants once in the garden. 

Just over a third of plant-related claims were due to out-of-control fires

Just over a third (35%) of plant-related claims were due to out-of-control fires, with some customers experiencing significant damage to their gardens after large fires started in theirs or neighbouring properties.

Multiple customers claimed for plants in greenhouses that had set alight, with damage also extending to scorched lawns, and expensive exotic plants. In some cases, the gardens had just been freshly landscaped.

Sadly, some Aviva customers were victims of criminal activity, with theft accounting for 1 in 10 (10%) of garden plant-related claims. Claims included customers having large potted plants stolen from front and back gardens, with thieves even cutting shed bolts to steal expensive plants such as palms. Some customers had multiple plants stolen from their garden, with one claimant having around fifty plants stolen while they were away from the property.

Finally, malicious damage to plants and gardens made up 6% of claims, making it Aviva’s fourth most common plant-related claim.  In some cases, vandals caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to trees, plants, and gardens.  

With the right insurance, policy holders can rest assured that they are covered if the worst were to happen, allowing them to relax and enjoy their gardens and plants in peace.

Jonathan Cracknell, underwriting manager for Aviva

Jonathan Cracknell, underwriting manager for Aviva, says: “For many people, their gardens hold significant sentimental and monetary value, with many green-fingered customers spending years tending to their plants, investing significant amounts of time, energy, and money into them.

“With greenery vulnerable to distressing events such as impact, fire, theft, and malicious damage, Aviva’s claims data reinforces the importance of protecting botanical investments with the right insurance, especially as some garden plants such as olive trees or wisteria cost hundreds of pounds to buy, and landscaping costs for domestic gardens have skyrocketed into the thousands.

“With the right insurance, policy holders can rest assured that they are covered if the worst were to happen, allowing them to relax and enjoy their gardens and plants in peace.”

Insurance cover for re-landscaping gardens and replacing garden plants in the event of incidents such as fire, theft, or malicious damage, is provided through Aviva’s Direct Home insurance product.

With the average cost of replacing plants and re-landscaping domestic gardens increasing, Aviva has recently enhanced its offer to provide greater cover for customers, with the new upper limit now set at £10,000, with a maximum limit of £500 per plant.