Articles:
Secure your holiday home and have peace of mind
SB May 2007
You must take out
holiday home insurance – it is essential.
But if you don’t take adequate steps to secure
your holiday home, you may find the insurers
won’t pay out in the event of a claim.
First and foremost, you must make sure that you
have made it clear to your insurer that the
policy is for a holiday home. Not all insurers
will provide
holiday home insurance. If you haven’t made
it clear and something happens, you may find
your policy is invalid. The premiums will be
higher, but that is better than not being
insured.
There are a number of basic steps you can take
to secure your holiday home.
It may seem obvious, but not everyone does
it – fit strong window and door locks. Get
the advice of the local police or
Neighbourhood Watch if possible – they will
probably advise extra security locks for
downstairs windows. It’s a good idea to
change the locks when you first take
possession of the property, as you don’t
know how many people have copies of the old
keys.
A burglar alarm is a good idea, but only fit
one if there is a friendly neighbour who
will check it, and switch it off if
necessary. A number of things, such as
power cuts, can trigger an alarm, and an
incessantly sounding screech won’t endear
you to your local community.
Again, if there are friendly neighbours, ask
them to make regular checks on the
property. In particular, ask them to watch
out for any accumulation of rubbish, and
circulars stuffed in the letter box.
Don’t give out your
holiday home address – make sure all
mail, for instance from utility companies,
is sent to your home address.
If you have garden equipment, leave it in
the house when you’re away, not in the
shed.
There’s only one thing worse than arriving at
your holiday home and finding it has been broken
into or damaged. That’s finding it has been
broken into or damaged and your holiday home
insurance has lapsed or is invalidated! Take
these basic precautions and make sure you have
peace of mind.
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