Holiday break-ins and how to keep your home safe
As nights draw in, homeowners are urged to take steps against holiday break-ins well in advance of the festive season.
New analysis from the Go.Compare reveals that police-recorded residential burglaries were 6.3% higher in November than in December last year [1]. With households stocking up on high-value items early for Black Friday and Christmas, experts warn that the risk peaks well before the holidays officially begin.
Tamzin Metcalfe, home insurance expert at Go.Compare says, “Between early festive shopping and travelling to visit family, homes are often filled with expensive new items or left empty for days at a time. Last year’s spike in November burglaries shows that waiting until late December to think about security is just too late. Taking simple, practical steps now can make all the difference in keeping your home and gifts safe.”
Tamzin recommends five ways to protect your home this holiday season:
1. Lock every entry point - Check doors and windows are locked properly, including sheds and outbuildings, whenever you go out. Remember upstairs windows, side gates and garages. Keep ladders secured too, so they can’t be used to gain access
2. Keep presents out of sight - To deter break-ins, avoid displaying gifts, presents, shopping bags, suitcases or other expensive items where they can be seen through windows. After Christmas, put boxes from high value gifts or purchases straight into bins rather than leaving obvious packaging outside your home
3. Make your home look lived in - To side-step any obvious signs your home is empty, make use of smart plugs to switch lights on at true-to-life times of day instead of leaving lights on continuously. If you are away overnight or longer, ask a friend or neighbour to collect post and move any deliveries. It’s a good idea to avoid sharing your trips on social media as this could alert would-be criminals to your home’s emptiness
4. Improve visibility around your home - CCTV, motion sensor lights or a video doorbell can help deter opportunistic criminals and provide useful evidence if an incident occurs. Keep hedges, paths and entrances clear so there are fewer concealed areas around the home
5. Check your insurance before travelling - Review your buildings and contents cover, including policy limits for new or high-value gifts and the maximum time your property can be left unoccupied. Keeping a record of valuables including photos, receipts and serial numbers can make a claim easier if the worst happens.
Many home insurance policies include a temporary increase in contents cover over Christmas, acknowledging that households might have more gifts and valuables at home at this time of year. However, this is not guaranteed, so homeowners should check their policy documents, as some high value gifts need to be specified separately.
Tamzin Metcalfe of Go.Compare concluded: “Taking a few simple steps ahead of the festive season can help households enjoy this time of year with greater peace of mind. Keep valuables out of sight, secure access points and checking insurance cover is up to date, homeowners can reduce the opportunity for opportunistic crime and feel better protected if the unexpected happens.”
For more information about home insurance visit Go.Compare.