Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Category:
Secured Loans
According to new research by Gocompare.com, 24.4 percent of Brits have been on the receiving end of a garden crime.
Despite the average garden now containing an average £1,040 worth of possessions, a quarter of those surveyed confessed to their garden not being secure.
It was found that 12 percent of respondents have been the victim of a theft from their garden, 5 percent have been faced with the realisation that their belongings have been stolen and vandalised, and 8 percent have had items damaged. The most commonly stolen possession was revealed to be bicycles at 52 percent; second to which being valuable furniture, plants and garden tools at 13 percent. Furthermore, one in ten of those polled have had a barbeque unlawfully taken from them. Where damaged property is concerned, the top five items to be subject to this were recorded as being valuable plants at 29 percent, garden furniture at 27 percent, bicycles at 21 percent, trampolines at 20 percent and barbeques at 19 percent.
Chief Executive of Gocompare.com, Hayley Parsons, said, "A plethora of home and garden design programmes, have inspired us to see our gardens as an extension of our living space and furnish them with expensive patio furniture, barbeques, plants and children's play equipment. With the value of possessions left outside averaging over £1,000 gardens provide rich-pickings for thieves.
"Most home insurance policies provide cover for gardens and their contents, but this can be limited, so it is best to check what cover you have and whether you need to extend it. If the contents of your garden are particularly valuable, you may need to consider a specialist garden insurance policy."
In terms of garden security, over one third of those surveyed revealed that they have not spent any money on this in the past year, and 35 percent claimed to have spent less than £100. Of the respondents who have made an investment in the security of their garden, 58 percent have either had their gate security improved, or have put up higher boundaries. In addition, 31 percent have introduced security lighting, 10 percent have marked their belongings with a security pen, and just over 7 percent have opted for closed circuit television. Finally, 13.3 percent of those polled explained that they have purchased a dog for added security.
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Security conscious homeowners, who are keen to deter opportunistic garden thieves, could consider taking out a
secured loan to fund the required work to protect their home and surroundings from green fingered thieves. One of many options, a secured loan could enable the borrower to undertake a vast array of projects in and around the home. For example, high perimeter fences could be put up as a means to reduce visibility into the garden and to pose an obstacle for would-be thieves. In addition, the borrower may wish to introduce closed circuit television as an extra deterrent, and as a means to capture any future intruders on camera. Security lighting could also be invested in as a means to put off otherwise prospective thieves.
