Thursday, July 30, 2009
Category:
Personal Finance Tips
Direct Line Home Insurance has recently revealed that 800,000 households have been victims of burglary whilst away on holiday.
Their research showed that the worst months for burglary are June and August when more claims than any other time of year are made. According to Direct Line Home Insurance, the inclination to the summer months could be down to the fact that householders are not taking preventative measures before they leave for holidays. 35 percent of people do not ask friends or neighbours to keep an eye out whilst 45 per cent do not leave any contact details for use in an emergency.
In addition, 45 per cent of people asked fail to ask someone to go to their home in order to clear the post and just 35 per cent put their lights on a timer to suggest that someone is home. As many as 83 per cent do not lock their valuables in a safe when they go on holiday.
Andrew Lowe, Head of Home Insurance at Direct Line, says:
"Our research shows that a large number of UK householders have experienced burglary whilst they have been away on holiday. Burglars can pick up on various clues to establish whether a house is likely to be unoccupied, ranging from an unruly front lawn to newspaper deliveries or post clogging the letter box area, or even by overhearing people discussing their upcoming holidays in public places.
"Householders can do several things to minimise the risks of being burgled when they are away from the home. They should cancel any deliveries they may be expecting, and ask a neighbour to keep an eye on the property. Finally they need to ensure that the home is generally well secured, using adequate locks and alarms."
Direct Line have come up with some security tips for those going on vacation. These include making sure that doors and windows are locked, switching on burglar alarms and ensuring that keys aren’t left any where obvious for house sitters. Ladders and tools which might come in handy for burglars should be locked away and side gates, garages and sheds must also be locked. The last piece of advice which is given to holiday makers is not to openly discuss plans in the pub or on the bus where they might be overheard by opportunistic thieves.
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Homeowners who feel that they should improve security around their homes by means of some home improvements, who are also looking for the funds to do so, could opt for a secured loan. A secured loan is one of many options to fund
home improvements and could be used to swap weaker doors with double glazed replacements. Changing exterior fences, adding closed circuit television and locks on exterior garages could also be funded with a secured loan.
