Is Your Home An Open House For Thieves?

by: David Thomson

A recent look into the security of our homes has shown that many homeowners are almost leaving the door open and the welcome mat for thieves to enter their homes. It seems that many home owners are not taking even the most basic of steps to ensure that their property is safe and secure.

Even those who have taken precautions to ensure that their property is secure lapse, with those who have fitted such security features as alarms forgetting or, in some cases, admitting to not even bothering to activate them. A staggering fact is that 1 in 5 of all homes that are burgled are done so when the occupants are at home, yet despite this fact there are many homeowners that leave the back door unlocked while they are in another room.

The burglars themselves have admitted that the majority of home owners leave themselves prime targets and make their job so much easier. They say that home owners do such things as leave the windows wide open allowing them easy access, along with leaving keys near to letterboxes and so within easy reach for them to just unlock the door and walk in.

With crime rising it is essential that home owners don’t make it any easier for thieves than it already is and to be aware that they are making themselves prime targets. Currently Britain has one of the highest rates of crime in Europe.

As the rate of crime is so high while it is essential that you ensure you do everything you can to keep the thieves out, it is also essential that you have adequate insurance should, despite your best efforts, you do become a victim of crime.

In order to determine the amount of cover which you need you should take your time and make an inventory of the items in your home and this will bring you to a rough figure. Of course you will have to take into consideration whether or not the policy will cover any items of particular value and take extra cover for these if need be. Always make sure you understand what the policy covers and doesn’t and also check the many exclusions that are hidden in the small print of all policies.