As Christmas approaches and the nights get longer, the last thing on your mind is probably your homeowners insurace. Statistics show that during the winter months, the rate of burglaries steadily increase and insurance companies find themselves dealing with more and more home insurance claims such as Castle Cover. Even more worrying though, is the number of people without adequate home insurance who are finding their holidays ruined by unexpected break-ins. Those unprepared might well find this winter holds a few unpleasant surprises.
Why are we seeing more and more house being burgled at the end of the year?
One factor is quite simply daylight. With the clocks back an hour and the days getting shorter, potential burglars are finding themselves with longer night-time cover to work under. And darkness is key to how burglars operate. With lower visibility they’re given more chance to investigate their chosen home and more opportunity in which to break-in undetected by neighbors.
Burglars are also aware that the winter months mean people are more likely to be out of their homes. The UK alone sees an increase of 33% in the number of homes broken into between October and December. Remember, it’s called the holiday season for a reason, and that’s because more and more people are out visiting family and attending seasonal events. It is in these pockets of opportunity when the house is empty that burglars will strike.
Burglars will aim to get in and out of their target house as fast as possible, and in the month of December what would be more convenient than the gifts found underneath a Christmas tree? Since presents tend to be expensive, easy-to-sell technology items, this makes them the perfect target for burglars.
Keeping Your Home Secure During Winter Months
There are several ways to keep your house more secure during the winter months. Try keeping keeping the lights on when you’re out and keep presents out of sight until Christmas Day. Many people this winter are going to find themselves relying on their home insurance when they didn’t expect it. That’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure you have adequate coverage – there may be a lot to do come the holiday season, but make sure you get this crossed off your to-do list first.
Great point. I would say.. Add burglar alarm system and make sure you take inventory/pictures of all the contents of your home. If you do need to file a claim you need to have ample evidence to prove what was taken.
Insurance should be reviewed periodically not just for the cost savings, but for coverage. Things like contents and building costs change periodically.
Nice reminders about checking your coverages. We recently has a hail storm and was pleased with our Insurance Company. We have been with them for a long time and have had no problems with our coverage.
Yes I agree. I have an alarm system which gives me a small discount on my homeowners insurance. Taking pictures and creating an inventory is an excellent point, I need to do that myself now that I’ve moved.
You are right krantcents! Great reminder.
We had a “small” house fire a couple of years ago and you can never underestimate the value of good home owners insurance!