Protecting our valuables over the Christmas and New Year period won’t be front of mind, but statistics show that burglaries increase during the festive holiday period as people leave their homes to visit friends and relatives or travel abroad.
At Smith Greenfield, we encourage our clients to be vigilant and advise they put a number of simple security measures in place that will protect their home and minimise the potential for theft:
- Make sure your home looks occupied. Leave lights on, use timer lights, consider hiring a house sitter
- When you leave your property, check that all external doors and windows are closed and locked. If you have an alarm, use it
- Be cautious when using social media, don’t post airport or holiday photographs until you have returned home
- Leave your valuables in a safe
- When disposing of packaging for valuable presents such as IPADs and SmartPhones, make it as unidentifiable as possible
- If you have a high-value vehicle left at home, use a wheel lock in addition to the car’s own security system
Also, we recommend telling your broker straight away if you receive a new, high value item over the festive period. This will make sure it is added to your policy and make any claim for loss, damage or theft more straight forward.
Smith Greenfield is open between Christmas and New Year to handle any insurance matters and claims. If you would like to speak to a specialist insurance adviser or our Claims Concierge Service please call +44 (0) 20 8603 3730.
Published: 23rd December 2019
