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Your neighbours can help reduce the cost
of your home insurance.
Burglary is a high
volume crime and affects around one in twenty five households
annually. Burglaries are as likely to occur at weekends as during
the week, with three quarters of all burglaries taking place
when there is nobody at home. At these times, it pays to have
good neighbours.
More and more people are becoming conscious
of the need to protect their property from break-ins.
Taking simple measures such as joining a neighbourhood
watch scheme or installing a burglar alarm fitted by a NACOSS
approved company, will not only provide you with peace of mind,
but could also earn you up to 5 per cent discount off your annual
household insurance premium.
Homeowners should also take adequate precautions
to protect their property whilst they are away on holiday, the
following checklist should help ensure properties are left safe
and secure:
- Ask a neighbour to remove any bin bags
left behind your door handle, whilst you are away.
- Ask a family member to check there is
no post on view to passers-by, and that your letterbox is emptied
regularly, or cancel your post.
- Ask a neighbour
to close your curtains at night and open them again in the
morning – or invest
in an automatic curtain-pulling device.
- Cancel your milk and your newspapers.
- Don’t
flag up your holiday to strangers who may be in the newsagents
when you cancel your papers.
- Don’t
talk about your forthcoming holiday whilst in public places.
- Don’t
leave suitcases in the drive as you pack your car.
- Don’t
put your home address on your luggage label on your outbound
journey.
- Invest in
security light timers – they
can be programmed to make it look like someone is home in the
evenings.
- Keep a car parked on your drive or outside
of your house.
- Try to cut
the lawn just before you go away, so that the garden doesn’t look unkempt, offering ‘tell-tale’ signs
of your absence.
- If in student accommodation, ensure that
you take all personal items with you, however much of a pain
it may seem at the time.
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