"In the intermediary market, it is vital that brokers are taking this time to remind their clients about the importance of keeping their homes protected."
Winter is known to be the peak time for this type of crime, with longer nights providing more cover for thieves.
With New Year’s resolutions typically broken only a few weeks into January, it is important that homeowners remember to keep their homes protected and assess the security of their houses this winter.
D-Link Security recently showed that only 11 per cent of UK adults believe that their household and possessions are safe and protected against burglary. More than half (54%) of respondents also revealed that they do not have security or burglar alarms installed in their homes.
In the intermediary market, it is vital that brokers are taking this time to remind their clients about the importance of keeping their homes protected. Though many homes will be insured for burglary, it’s important to be aware of the level of risk associated with some properties and the value of the contents they are seeking to cover. It could be that a client’s property is located in an area with a higher risk and more prevalent history of burglaries, for example.
Household security will be another significant factor when it comes to securing a lower premium for a client, as properties with burglar alarms are likely to be looked on more favourably than those that don’t have this added level of protection. Just the presence of a burglar alarm can deter unauthorised access or crime.
However, brokers will need to remind their clients that if they declare that they have a burglar alarm in place, they will need to ensure it has been installed and is maintained by an approved company. In addition, it must be set when the home is unoccupied or they risk a claim being rejected.
It is equally essential for brokers to provide this type of advice and to remember that their role extends to more than just ensuring the most appropriate cover is in place for their clients. Along with finding their clients a suitable policy, it is a broker’s job to advise them on the pitfalls of policies and to highlight any endorsements or exclusions which may apply around home security.
Winter is an opportune time for theft, so it’s important that brokers make their customers aware of this risk and encourage them to update their contents insurance to ensure that they are adequately covered. It’s often the case that in the unfortunate event of a burglary, the owners of the property discover too late that they are underinsured.
