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It is virtually impossible to make your home completely burglar
proof, but there are many things that you can do to reduce the
likelihood that you will be targeted. An appropriate home buildings and
contents insurance policy will pay you the cost of anything that is
stolen or damaged, but some sentimental items may be irreplaceable to
you no matter their market value. One of the best ways to ensure that
your home is not targeted by thieves is to ensure that yours is not the
easiest opportunity on the street.
To make your home as secure as possible, make sure
that you lock your doors and windows and use your burglar alarm if you
have one. Even if you are at home, thieves could walk through an open
door and take car keys or a handbag before you even knew they had been
in, so dont leave valuables by the door where they can be snatched.
Its also worth remembering that if you are out and
your bag is stolen with your keys in it, if you have letters with your
address in the bag then the thief has access to your house. Avoid
carrying your address with your keys, and if you have and your bag is
stolen, change your locks as soon as possible.
It is also advisable to change the locks when you
move into a house because the previous owner or tenant could have kept
copies. Be careful who you trust with your keys, the workman that you
leave them with could easily make copies.
Make sure that you do not leave items lying around
outside that a burglar could use as a house breaking tool. Bricks,
ladders, spades and even wheelie bin
s can all be used to break or
access windows that you may not think are easy to reach. If trees or
shrubs make your house difficult to see from the road, think about
whether it is worth sacrificing a little privacy to ensure that your
home is not attractive to burglars who will think they can break in
without being spotted.
If you do not use your existing security measures
like burglar alarms and window locks, your insurers may say that you
have failed to meet the terms and conditions of your policy and refuse
to pay your claims if you are burgled. If the worst does happen,
ccontact the police immediately and your insurers as soon as possible.
Your insurance company will need details of all the
things that have been stolen, so it is a good idea to make an inventory
of your belongings, for example once a year, and to keep receipts for
any big purchases. This will help you to make sure that your insurance
policy gives you the right amount of cover in the first place, and if
you do need to claim it will help the insurance company. Taking
photographs of things like clothes, dvds and jewellery can be an easy
way of proving what you have and the condition it is in.
Your insurers have experience of dealing with
burglaries and will often be able to offer useful advice on how to make
your home as safe as possible. This might even lower your premium.
While it is essential to have home insurance in case you are ever the
victim of a burglar,the best possible course of action is to prevent
them from targetting your home in the first place.
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