News
Beware of Opportunist Thieves at Christmas
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
Christmas is a busy time of year for most of us - and that includes thieves.
As families gather together in one another’s homes, it means lots of premises are left empty. With fewer neighbours around to keep an eye out, it’s a great time for opportunistic thieves to strike. The nights are at their darkest and longest, and of course over the Christmas period many homes will have brand new items still in their boxes, wrapped up and piled up under the Christmas tree. Wrapped presents offer a bonus for thieves as they know the goods are unused and likely to include remote controls, manuals and guarantees.
After Christmas it is not a good idea to put empty boxes in plain view outside your house by dustbins, as it advertises exactly which nearly-new valuable items are available to burglars.
Make sure you take the necessary precautions to prevent your home being burgled this Christmas; check what your insurers expect of you, make sure your insurance policy is current and that you are fully covered if you should become the unfortunate victim of thieves. Remember, your insurance cover is meant to represent the full replacement value of your Home Contents; not just what you think might be vulnerable. If you are underinsured in total, your insurer may seek to take this into account when dealing with the part you are claiming for. There may also be limits for High Risk or Valuable items. Some policies have an automatic increase of the sum insured over the Christmas period - but many do not.
If the worst does happen, act quickly. Call the police immediately to report the theft. You should then give serious consideration to contacting an insurance loss assessor before you submit your insurance claim. A loss assessor will handle the claim for you, relieving some of the burden of what can be a very stressful procedure. Don’t be a victim again at the hands of your insurer.
