Parties cost parents 'millions'

Last Modified: 27 Aug 2008
Source: PA News

Children collectively cause £16.8 million worth of damage to their parents' homes each year as a result of parties that get out of hand, research has shown.

Nearly one in 10 of these parties, the equivalent of around 54,000 a year, is held without permission, collectively leading to a repair bill of around £1.4 million, according to Sainsbury's Home Insurance.

Around 38% of parties held by children lead to some sort of damage to their family home, with the problems caused ranging from scuffed walls and broken personal items to structural damage to the property.

In a third of cases the repair bill was limited to less than £100, but 1% of parents said their offspring had held a party that caused up to £5,000 worth of damage during the past five years.

Parents could also find that their insurer will not cover the cost of the repairs, if the damage was caused as a result of the party getting out of hand.

Neil Laird, manager of Sainsbury's Home Insurance, said: "The rise of sites such as Facebook and Bebo has dramatically changed the way teenagers in particular invite 'friends' to their parties.

"It's not uncommon to have parties with many hundreds of people attending and when such events get out of hand some insurers may suggest that the homeowner failed to take due care of the property and could refuse to pay up."

:: ICM questioned 3,000 people during August.

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