Have you got your Christmas presents insured?
Christmas comes early for Britains house-breaking thieves, whose unseasonal behaviour means people need to pay special attention to home security over the festive period, according to Abbey.
The latest British Crime Survey shows that the average value of items stolen in household burglaries is £500, but almost a third (29 per cent) of people have possessions worth between £1,000 and £4,999 stolen1. With little more than half (52 per cent) of reported burglaries covered by insurance, this means items worth over £130 million were stolen with no insurance cover. Over half of burglaries happen after 6pm and more often in the winter months1. With people at office parties and out socializing over the festive period it is important to take extra care. Abbey's 'peace of mind' home insurance offers the reassurance of unlimited sum insured cover, which includes cover for Christmas presents in the home2. Abbey's policy also offers the option of additional cover for personal possessions whilst people are out and about, for example, if your handbag or wallet gets stolen while Christmas shopping. Discounts are available for Abbey customers on contents premiums if they have approved alarms and locks. Abbey advises that a few simple precautions can reduce the risk of becoming a Christmas burglary statistic. These include: - Keeping presents away from places, such as under the tree or on window sills, if they can be easily seen from the road. Don't put them under the tree too early, especially if the house will be empty quite often.
- Closing curtains and leaving some timer lights on if you are going to be out at night.
- Checking all windows and doors are closed properly, and fitting safety locks to doors and accessible windows wherever possible.
- Asking a friend or neighbour to keep an eye on the house while you are away or out of the house for long periods.
- Having a monitored home security alarm system fitted – an effective year round security measure that is shown to reduce the risk of a break-in.
Angus Porter, Customer Director at Abbey, said: "It's sad but true that for burglars the festive period is a time for taking rather than giving. They are not at all concerned about ruining a family's Christmas as they go about their 'work'. The best defence is to do all you can to prevent it happening in the first place and there are plenty of simple measures people can take to make the burglar's life more difficult. "The next most important thing is to check that your household insurance provides the right cover. This will lessen the impact if you do become a victim of crime at Christmas, or indeed at any other time of the year." According to Abbey, people should make sure that their policy covers the following: - The full value of the contents of their home, including newly bought presents - also check the cover for high value items.
- Contents away from home – including personal possessions and presents, for when visiting family and friends at Christmas, or while out shopping.
- Theft of money and credit cards, including fraudulent use of cards if they are stolen either from inside or outside the home.
The most commonly stolen items in burglaries are: - cash (39 per cent);
- jewellery (23 per cent);
- CDs/DVDs (19 per cent);
- purses/wallets (18 per cent)1.
Abbey offers its home insurance customers a 24 hour Emergency Repairs Helpline. Free advice on how to ensure that you have adequate cover for your house and possessions is available at any branch of Abbey, or for a free quotation call abbey on 0800 328 6700. Abbey Home Insurance is also available on www.abbey.com. Financial News Feeds provided by OneCompare.com
Date published: 12/10/2004 10:00:13 AM
Financial News Feed Provided by OneCompare.com
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