Sixty six percent of Irish homeowners said that they are currently either studying or working from home in new research released today by Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC. The research was carried out by iReach Insights Limited and was part of a nationwide study conducted as part of the iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus Survey with 1,200 respondents, 777 of whom were homeowners. 
 
Of that 66%, whilst 18% of homeowners surveyed said that they have always had an office at home, a further 27% have adapted a separate room or space into a home office since the outbreak of Covid-19. However, 27% of respondents admitted to working from a table or desk in a room usually used for other purposes e.g. dining room or kitchen, while 18% said they worked from a table or desk in their bedrooms, with 10% admitting to working from the sofa or armchair. 
 
While almost half of all homeowners surveyed (46%) feel the same about their home, some 46% admitted to liking and appreciating their homes more since the outbreak of Covid-19.  However, 8% of those surveyed unfortunately like their homes less having spent much more time at home over the course of the last year. 
 
Speaking this week, Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC, Brian Mahon said, “The outbreak of the pandemic and the various restrictions that were implemented over the past year has resulted in most of us spending extended periods of time at home as we adapted to what has become the new norm.  Aviva Insurance Ireland extended its home insurance cover for its customers who are undertaking administrative/office type work from their homes, including personal laptops and printers.  However, this cover does not extend to office equipment or where there are callers to the property in connection with the business.”

He added, “We recommend that people check with their home insurance provider to fully understand what they are covered for.  As a significant number of burglaries take place during the day, we also recommend that people remain vigilant whilst at home and ensure that access, including all external doors are always locked. Where possible, they should ensure that valuables such as laptops, mobile phones are kept out of sight.”

Article Source: Business World