Sunscreen packed and flip-flops on. You're ready for your summer get away. Or are you?
Protecting your home from thieves and internal disasters is an important consideration before jetting off on business or pleasure.
Home insurance covers the key risks to your home while you're away on holiday. These include burglary, frozen and burst pipes (mainly during winter) and electrical faults leading to fire.
To mitigate such risks, there are a series of precautions you can take to help protect your home.
When purchasing your home insurance...
There are two key factors to consider in relation to your home insurance whilst on holiday:
Consider the length of time you are away from your home at any one time.
If you travel for long periods for work or leisure purposes, you need to tailor your home insurance policy appropriately. If you intend to spend periods exceeding 45 days away from your home, your insurance premium is likely to be more costly than for those who holiday for a week or two each year. In a recent comparison, an insurance premium for a home left empty for 45 days and more came in at £293.55*, where as a premium for a house left vacant for less than 30 days could cost £145.76*.
Make use of alarms if you don't already as homes with alarms, particularly monitored alarms are seen as less at risk to insurers. For example, in a recent comparison, a home with no alarms could cost £299.44* to insure. Yet the same house fitted with a monitored alarm could cost £202.61* to insure.
Before you leave for the airport...
Take general security measures such as locking all doors and windows (including those of outbuildings) and make sure your burglar alarm is switched on and working. Whilst these precautions may not discourage the most determined thieves, they will increase the time it takes to enter, increasing the chance of being caught, assuming you don't leave a spare key tucked predictably under the plant pot!
Lock away any valuables in a safe or at least hide them from view. Particularly valuable items should be detailed in your home insurance policy, but prevention is better than cure, particularly for sentimental items such as jewellery.
Aside from general security, make efforts to give your home the 'lived in look'. This involves cancelling any milk and newspaper orders. Ask neighbours to park on your drive, pop in to open and close the curtains and take in post. If this isn't possible then the Royal Mail offer a mail holding service, "Keepsafe", looking after your post for up to 2 months for a small charge. Leaving lights on a timer, in sync with daylight hours will also add to the 'lived in look'.
Make your home sound lived in too. If you have the technology, consider forwarding your home telephone calls to your mobile phone, creating the impression that you are at home. And if you're not up with the latest technology, you can rely on your answer phone, but don't leave a message stating that you are away.
Reduce the risk of frozen and burst pipes by switching off your water at the mains. In addition, time your heating to switch on for at least an hour each morning and an hour each evening. This will help prevent damp and the occurrence of leaks and flooding, common home insurance claims occurring during the colder months, when homes are left unoccupied.
Reduce the risk of electrical fault and fire by switching off any appliances that won't be in use. Also remove your television aerial. This will reduce your electricity bill whilst you're away, as well as protect your home from unpredictable electrical faults.
Get acquainted with the local neighbourhood watch team or if you don't have a formal watch scheme, perhaps ask a friendly neighbour to keep a look out on your property. It would be beneficial to prepare a holiday pack for them, detailing your holiday itinery and perhaps including a spare key, important documents and details of your security company if your home has a monitored alarm.
Consider who you discuss your holiday with, both in person and online. Telling the postman or your airport taxi driver about your plans may seem more than natural but if you do have these conversations, perhaps suggest that you have a house sitter. Listening ears may revel in news of an empty house. Also, you may want to share your pre-holiday excitement with your friends over social networks but perhaps leave this news until your return, thieves use Facebook and Twitter too.
And to avoid advertising your vacant home on your luggage, don't write your full address on your luggage tags, rather, detail your house number and post code. This will be sufficient information to return any lost luggage.
By employing these preventative measures you can be free to enjoy your holiday with peace of mind. Happy holidays!
* Prices provided by Gocompare.com, correct on 21.2.2011. Prices based on a 35 year old home owner living in a semi-detached 2 bedroom house with 9 years no claims
