As reported in our previous news item, burglaries are on the rise. This increase in burglaries has many people asking: what is the best way to protect your home?
Senior Garda officials have pointed out that this increase in break-ins is partially due to poor home security. These senior Gardai have advised that they were shocked to find that many burglars were gaining access to houses through unlocked patio doors and windows.
“It is difficult to believe, but the burglars in some instances can just walk through the front door which is not locked. Security is very lax … people don’t check that their patio doors are locked or if their windows are open. It is a concern,” said Galway Garda Division Chief Superintendent Dónal Ó Cualáin.
We asked David Hughes, Director of Home Insurance at Getcover.ie, for other tips on how to protect yourself against burglars. “Don’t leave valuable items, such as a laptop, on display,” said David, “Also don’t leave car keys where they can be seen or in ‘obvious’ places that they could be found if someone breaks into the house.”
There are plenty of easy ways to protect your home – and your home insurance premium – without incurring any extra costs. “If you are going away make sure that a trusted neighbour drops by regularly to check on things,” said David, “Ask them to take the post out of your letterbox so that it’s not obvious that you’re away.”
If you own valuable jewellery it might be a good idea to purchase a small safe. Also, make sure that your jewellery and other valuables are listed on your home insurance policy. These valuables should be listed on your home insurance policy under ‘Specified All Risks’ cover. To get a home insurance quote that includes these valuables, go to the home insurance section on our website and when asked do you want to include ‘Specified All Risks’ click ‘Yes’. Then simply list the items you want covered by your home insurance policy and include their approximate value. It also makes sense to photograph valuable items as this will assist Gardai in trying to trace these items. It can also be useful for trying to recover them yourself through pawnbrokers or cash for gold shops if they hold sentimental value.
Finally, make sure to keep all the receipts of any valuable items. This way, if you do need to make a claim on your home insurance policy, you can simply show the receipts to your home insurance provider and they can pay out accordingly. This will ensure that claiming on your home insurance policy will be a reasonably stress-free experience.