Home insurance burglary claims static year-round

With the dark autumn nights setting in, the threat of burglary will become a real concern for many.
 
But fears that the dark evenings will tempt thieves may in fact be unfounded as AA home insurance data reveals there’s little correlation between early, dark nights and burglaries.
 
Historical home insurance claims data shows that burglary claims typically account for around 12% of all home insurance claims, regardless of the season.
 
Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance said: “It’s natural to suspect you’ll be more at risk of burglary in the winter when it’s dark and easier to sneak around unnoticed.
 
“But if you can’t see them, it’s likely they’ll have trouble seeing where they’re going, too. Scaling icy walls and navigating their way around a dark garden with their ill-gotten gains could be quite a challenge for an opportunist thief.
 
“The important thing to remember is that burglary is largely an opportunistic crime. Thieves often take advantage of open windows, unlocked doors and empty-looking homes.
 
“Having higher value items in the home – for Christmas perhaps – could be one of the reasons people are concerned about burglaries in the winter. But AA Home Insurance offers a 20% increase on your contents around Christmas to account for the gifts you’ll have in your home.”
 
Mr Douglas continued: “But that’s not to say that you shouldn’t be complacent about home security. Many people may not want to make a claim on their home insurance if they have had low value items stolen or they have another policy which covers it – mobile phone insurance for instance.”
 
Precautionary measures
 
Research conducted by the AA/Populus Home Panel reveals that the majority of householders take some steps to protect themselves from burglars in the run up to Christmas.
 
Fifty-two per cent say they leave their lights on when they go out to make it look as though someone’s home. Twenty-nine per cent makes an extra effort to close their curtains so burglars can’t see in, and a careful 19% will hide their presents rather than put them under the tree. A wacky 1% says they create ‘Home-Alone’ style traps to defeat any unwelcome Christmas visitors.
 
Regional variations
 
Areas with higher crimes rates such as London and the West Midlands feature highly in the table of those who worry they’ll be burgled. Wales and Northern Ireland are the parts of the UK where householders are least likely to worry about being burgled.

Home security advice
 
There are a few things you can do to help protect your home from burglars:

1. Trim back overgrown hedges or trees – they’re perfect for burglars to hide behind

2. Make sure your security lights are working if you have them – they may put burglars off if they light up as they approach

3. Don’t leave a spare key in an obvious place. Burglars are likely to check under the doormat and plant pots near your front door.

4. Burglars are likely to be able to tell the difference between a fake burglar alarm and a real one; if you’re going to buy one it should be real.

5. Many burglaries are opportunistic crimes. If you leave a window open or a door unlocked a burglar can get in and out quickly and easily

6. Put away anything a burglar could use to gain access to your home such as garden tools.