Falkirk's pets supposedly causing hundred of pounds of damage to owner's homes during lockdown

Confused.com stated new research has shown having responsibility for a pet has cost owners, on average, more than £500 in damage repairs, with our furry friends getting up to all sorts of antics – chewing through doors, walls, phonelines, wires and even trees, as well as smashing irreplaceable heirlooms.

Jess Willock, Confused.com home expert, said: “Lockdown posed the perfect opportunity for many animal lovers to welcome a new pet into their home and even more people might consider a pet as a much-welcomed family addition.

”But sometimes, pets can come into our lives and homes like a whirlwind, causing damages that we weren’t prepared for – even though they mean no harm. While it can be confusing to know how to train your pet not to chew things, it is even more confusing to know what’s covered on your home insurance when it comes to pet damage.”

In some cases the damage caused by pets is extreme, with Confused.com’s survey revealing one pet ate through the bottom of a door after being locked downstairs, while other owners said their companions chewed through a main phone line and even blew the main fuse by chewing the wire for the television.

Another owner said their pet ate an entire tree, “gnawing at it like a beaver”, while another pet with razor-sharp teeth chewed the corner of the living room wall and an irrigation system.

Thankfully, according to Confused.com, 73 per cent of pet-owners were able to successfully make a claim on their home insurance for the damage. But, surprisingly, only 32 per cent of people tried to make a claim on their home insurance in the first place.

The research states almost all pet-owners – 95 percent – have paid out of their own money to repair damage caused by their companions at some point.

Those who did make a successful claim on their home insurance got an average pay-out of £905, while 17 per cent needed up to £5000 to cover repairs.