“If you are planning to go away, it is important to take precautionary measures. Even with all the insurance in the world, it’s a painful experience to come back and find that your home has been emptied of your valuables. You owe it to yourself to ensure that the chances of that happening are minimal,” says Warwick Scott-Rodger, Head of Dialdirect Insurance:
Scott-Rodger says that in most cases, home break-ins are the result of opportunity, as opposed to serious planning. “Criminals can tell when you’re not home and the house is unguarded, or there is clear evidence of valuables inside.”
Apart from making sure that all of your most precious and valuable possessions are properly insured, there are a few easy steps everyone can take to ensure that their homes are more secure:
- Cut back any trees or bushes that obscure your front door or driveway. These could be used as hiding places.
- Upgrade your home’s security regularly. If you can’t afford motion-activated security lights, burglar bars will act as a deterrent for would-be criminals.
- A burglar alarm is a very effective deterrent, especially if it is connected to an armed response company.
- Walk around the outside perimeter of your home. Try to see if there are any valuables clearly visible to passers by, or if there are any obvious means of entry into your home.
- When you go on holiday, ask a neighbour or house sitter to turn on your lights and collect your mail so that it doesn’t pile up outside your home.
- Clean up in the garden and be sure to lock away spades, rakes and other tools which could conceivably be used to break a window or gain entry into your home.
- Scott-Rodger also reminds home owners and renters that upgrading their home security could result in lower home contents insurance premiums. “The level of security in your home is one of the underwriting conditions that goes into determining your monthly premium. If your home is safer, your risk profile decreases and your premium could be reduced as well.”
Article credit: http://www.all4women.co.za/447070/lifestyle/lifestyle-lifestyle/have-you-made-it-easy-for-criminals-to-break-into-your-home
