More than half justify their lie beacuse they feel cover is too expensive

Fraud

One in five UK householders have lied or withheld information when applying for home insurance, according to a poll of 2,000 people commissioned by Gocompare.com

Out of 2,000 respondents, 52% felt it reasonable to lie because they think insurance premiums are too expensive.

This figure rose to 63% for those aged between 18 and 24.

Of those who admitted lying, 27% don’t believe that withholding information or exaggerating a claim on a home insurance application is a form of fraud.

Other information that respondents guessed at or withheld when applying for home insurance included the renewal price (34%), the types of locks on their doors and windows (12%), whether they are in an active neighbourhood watch area (9%), and whether their home is occupied during the day or not (6%).

The survey found that when it comes to making a claim people are more honest, with only 4% admitting to exaggerating a home insurance claim and a further 4% admitting to having lied about the cost of the contents that had been lost or stolen.

Gocompare.com’s home insurance spokesman Ben Wilson said: “While it’s worrying that a significant number of people apparently fail to see the harm in ambiguously applying for insurance, it’s encouraging that most are honest.”