Birmingham bin strike sparks car insurance concerns - here's why

Birmingham continues to suffer from uncollected rubbish due to ongoing bin strikes, despite productive talks between the council and the Unite union. Residents are urged to leave bins at collection points for pickup as soon as possible.

Talks to end the strike are ongoing between the council and the Unite union, which represents refuse workers.

With questions swirling about what people are actually covered for, Kara Gammell, personal finance expert at MoneySuperMarket, shares her advice on what insurance policies do – and don’t – cover in situations like this.

She said: “Amid reports of bin bags piling up in Birmingham and attracting rats and other vermin, affected residents will likely be wondering if they can claim for damage caused to their cars or property from the rodents.

“Not all car insurance policies will cover damage caused by rats. If you have fully comprehensive car insurance, this should cover the cost of repairs, however, you will have to pay your chosen excess if you make a claim for damage caused by pests, and your no-claims bonus will be affected.

“On the other hand, if you have third-party, fire and theft or third-party only car insurance, then you will not be covered by damage caused by rats.

“When it comes to your property, standard home insurance doesn’t typically cover the cost of removal of rats or mice, nor repairs for rodent-related damage. Home emergency cover, an optional add-on, may cover emergency pest removal but it does not include cover for damage caused by rats.”