Tips for homeowners as clocks go back
As the clocks go back on Sunday October 31st, the cover of darkness can prove all too tempting for the opportunist thief. Halifax Home Insurance recommends homeowners take steps to make life more difficult for the would-be burglar.
Last year, Halifax Home Insurance saw a 63% rise in burglary claims during the winter months when compared to the summer months, and according to the insurer's own in house data, the average cost of a winter burglary last year was £2,623.
Senior claims manager for Halifax Home Insurance, Martyn Foulds says; "Year on year we typically see far more burglaries occurring during the winter. Burglars will tend to go for the path of least resistance and look for homes that lack even the basic security measures, so a few simple cost effective steps can go a long way to avoiding a break in."
Halifax Home Insurance recommends the following tips to protect the home as the nights draw in:
Valuables
Keep valuable items out of sight away from windows and doors
Mark property with your postcode using an ultra violet pen
Keep receipts and photographs of valuable purchases as these can help if you need to make a claim
Consider installing a safe in your home for small items like credit cards, personal documents, digital cameras and MP3 players
Have expensive items of jewellery valued every three years by a reputable jeweller
Locks
Fit visible, key operated window and door locks and keep them locked
Pay particular attention to windows on the ground floor
Doors that lock from the inside can be fitted with bolts for additional security
Don't risk leaving keys outside the property as burglars know where to look
Alarms
Install one in a prominent position and always set it
Remember an alarm won't stop a burglar getting in so use one in conjunction with other security measures
Gardens
High walls, railings, and trellising on fence tops can be enough to deter thieves as they slow down a quick getaway
Prickly hedges and thorny bushes around the property can also deter thieves and obscure their view of what's inside
Keep bins and ladders out of sight as these can be used to gain access to the property.
If you have been burgled
Report it to the police as soon as possible and obtain an incident number
Tell your insurer, quoting the police incident number and giving as much detail as possible about what has been taken and any damage caused to property
If the home has been left unsecured after a break in, ensure both the police and your insurer are aware of this fact.
Halifax Home Insurance offers additional Home Emergency cover, which for around £4 a month can ensure that your home is made secure following a break in, and can also help with a whole range of other domestic emergencies, from lost keys to burst pipes and gas or electricity failures.
Being burgled causes homeowners a great deal of stress and upset, not to mention the financial loss, yet still according to the ABI (Association of British Insurers) around one in four homes has no home insurance cover at all. Halifax Home Insurance provides unlimited sums insured cover for buildings and contents to help reduce the risk of being underinsured.
Top ten hotspots for burglary claims in 2009:
London
Leeds
Manchester
Romford
Harrow, Uxbridge and Wembley
Nottingham
Bradford
Harlow
Merseyside
Richmond and Twickenham