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COMMENT
My little boy and I had a whale of a time last night, watching Macaulay Culkin tackle two bungling burglars while he was Home Alone over Christmas. Now that's what I call home security! Later, I remarked to my wife that anyone burgling our (rented) house would be truly disappointed, because our electronic goods are aging or ancient, plus we don't have many valuables, such as expensive jewellery and so on. However, according to Bradford & Bingley (B&B), over 80,000 homes will be burgled during the last quarter of this year. So much for the season of goodwill! Merriment turned to misery for 81,600 households last year, which is the number of homes that were burgled between October and December 2004. What's more, with the average household predicted to spend around £310 on presents this year, B&B warns that up to £50 million could be lost to criminals over the festive season. If you don't want to receive any unwanted visitors this month, you should take steps to minimise your risk. After all, if you're burgled and are forced to make a claim on your contents insurance, your premium will increase, plus you'll find it harder to shop around for cheaper cover. Hence, it makes financial sense to take these precautions: 1. Make sure that you have sufficient cover for any gifts which you've bought. If you need to add any expensive gifts onto your policy, do it now. 2. In common with a number of leading home insurers, Bradford & Bingley's home insurance automatically increases your sum insured by a tenth (10%) during December. This provides valuable extra cover for your presents, plus the extra drink and food that you've stocked up on. It's worth checking to see if your policy provides this extra protection as standard. 3. Don't tempt "opportunistic thieves" who may happen to be passing by: keep all presents and valuables safely out of view, not on windowsills or under your Christmas tree (until the last moment, at least). 4. If you're going to be out after dark, close curtains and switch on some timer lights. 5. Make sure that all accessible windows (particularly those on the ground floor, and near drainpipes and flat roofs) and doors have key-operated locks - and use them! 6. Don't leave doors or windows open or unlocked when you're not around, especially during parties. While you're celebrating at the rear of the house or in the garden, a burglar could be quietly grabbing your goodies. 7. If you're going to be out or away for long periods, ask friends or neighbours to keep an eye on your home. 8. Poor wiring causes many accidents and a lot of damage over the holiday seasons, so make certain that your Christmas lights are wired correctly. If in doubt, seek the advice of a qualified electrician. 9. Consider fitting a monitored home-security alarm system, which provides improved year-round protection against break-ins. Thus, if you don't want Christmas to turn into "Stressmas", pay attention to home security! More: Get quality quotes and cheap cover from our Insurance centre | Start saving for next Xmas!
