Home Insurance -
Homeowners Careless Attitudes put Home Insurance at Risk - 29/04/2008
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Zurich Insurance carried out an extensive survey to find out more about the risks of burglary and its effects on home insurance payouts.
Questioning both home insurance policy holders and convicted burglars, they discovered that many homeowners are lax about security, to the point of inviting burglars to rob their house.
They found that most burglaries are carried out opportunistically, rather than planned. In addition to this they discovered that large numbers of people leave their back door unlocked and leave windows open regularly.
These are just the kind of careless mistake that a passing burglar will look for. If your home is burgled and you have left a door or window open, your insurance policy will be rendered invalid as you will be seen as not taking due care and attention of your property.
The survey questioned many homeowners on whether they believed that they could successfully break into their own property. One third of those questioned believed that they could, while one in ten said they had actually broken into their own home after being locked out.
Of those who had broken into their own homes, two thirds said that it took them less than 15 minutes, while 25 per cent said that they had managed to gain entry in under 5 minutes.
Reformed criminal, turned probation officer, Bob Turney, said:
“Burglars want an easy way in – and most burglaries are simply a result of thieves taking advantage of householders who've left their homes wide open and there for the taking. And if you can break into your property in less than five minutes, a professional burglar can do it in half the time.”
To protect your home and keep your home insurance policy intact, all you need to do is follow simple security measures. Do not leave windows and doors open, invest in a burglar alarm and ask neighbours to keep an eye on your house in your absence.
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