Brits leave personal goods unattended in holiday homes

More than £6.3 billion worth of personal goods is being left unattended in Brits' holiday homes across the UK and abroad, according to new research from high net worth insurer, Zurich Private Clients.

The findings show that British holiday property owners have an average of £15,200 of contents in their homes-away-from-home, while some risk leaving more than £100,000 of personal belongings in their second homes. This can cause problems because second home are often left vacant for months at a time.

Indeed infrequent homeowner visits are the biggest reason for homes being left lying empty; two-thirds of those with holiday homes admit to personally visiting their property no more than every three months, and one in 10 stay only once a year. While others encourage family and friends to use their second home, 52 per cent of properties are still left completely unoccupied for a month or more at a time.

Zurich Private Clients are also seeing a developing trend for wealthy clients being targeted and burgled whilst in their European holiday homes. This can involve the burglar(s) releasing gas into the air-conditioning system or through an open window, to disable the inhabitants whilst they remove valuables. Those with larger jewellery collections appear to have been the major target to date.

And it seems that many second homeowners are not even protecting themselves with insurance. One in 10 do not have any home contents insurance, with another one in 10 (11 per cent) not knowing if their insurance is adequate.

Worryingly, many are not even taking basic steps to protect their vacant homes. Just half (48 per cent) have window locks on their property and only one in five (22 per cent) have an alarm fitted - while one in 20 (six per cent) admit that they have no security measures in place at all.

But their purchases are not without caution, as a fifth of holiday property owners (22 per cent) admit that they are worried about security for their homes-away-from-home. Besides properties being left unoccupied (56 per cent), other concerns include local crime (24 per cent) and their houses being deliberately targeted by criminals (16 per cent).

Despite this apprehension, it seems Britons' passion for property is so strong that they will still invest in a pad that might get used just once or twice a year.

In fact, one in five (18 per cent) holiday homeowners are looking to purchase additional properties, with half of those (47 per cent) set to buy in 2008. Currently, France (24 per cent) and Spain (26 per cent) are the most popular destinations for holiday homes, but up and coming places such as Cyprus (four per cent) and Bulgaria (three per cent) are attracting more investors. A quarter (26 per cent) who are looking to purchase in the future are considering buying in the UK, nearly half (45 per cent) on the continent, and an adventurous 26 per cent are looking beyond Europe.

Nick Brabham, Head of Zurich Private Clients, warns holiday homeowners that just because they view somewhere as a second property, it doesn't mean it should come second best in terms of security measures or insurance protection.

"There has been a steady rise in the number of customers with second homes, either in the UK or abroad. While we're using them, we often let our guard down as we relax and unwind, but we need to ensure that we don't compromise on security or cover, leaving our property vulnerable and thousands of pounds of our possessions at risk.

"Under-insurance for second properties is common, and when combined with instances of gas attack burglaries across Spain, France and Portugal in particular, we're urging those with second homes in Europe to make sure they have its contents protected and valued properly. There are also portable devices that will sound an alarm if certain gas elements are detected in the air and we're proactively recommending these to our clients, but we're also encouraging them to carefully consider the jewellery items they take abroad.

"Clients can also benefit from our Client Management service where one of our experienced team of risk managers can visit overseas and UK holiday homes to give clients specific advice on protecting their home and family against the risk of a burglary.

"Zurich Private Clients is a tailored service for high net worth individuals, offering a personalised treatment where and when you want, designed to meet the needs of you and your property."