Home Insurance and Open Windows

Home Insurance and Open Windows

Home insurance protects your home and contents against theft or loss. If you leave a window open, however, you could put your valuables at unnecessary risk, and your claim for theft or loss might not be valid.

Home insurance can protect your valuables, including jewellery, ornaments, precious collectables, antiques and electrical goods against theft or loss. Your home insurance provider will usually offer standard or specialist home insurance depending on the level of cover you require and the value of goods you would like to insure.

Whilst your valuables, personal belongings and your home should be protected by home insurance, however you should also take steps to protect your home yourself. Leaving a window open, for example, is an easy invitation for an opportunist thief to access your house and your belongings.

In hot weather you may have several windows open at once to create a through breeze. Perhaps you might have windows open at both the front and back of the house, or even patio doors open to enjoy the summer weather. It is easy to forget that whilst you and your family use windows and doors to enjoy the house, a thief could use them to gain unauthorised entry.

The BBC reports that a third of burglars gain access through a back window, and only a very small open window is needed to make life easy for a would-be thief. If your window is above a flat roof, then it could make illegal access even easier into your home. You should therefore be vigilant about securing all windows in your home.

When you leave your home or if you will be out of a room for an extended period of time, you should always close and lock your windows. You should also store keys for the window out of sight from the outside. If possible, it is also recommended to avoid having furniture near an accessible window which could make it easier for a thief to step in and out of your house.

Crimestoppers reports that between April 2010 and March 2011, over £3 million worth of stolen goods were recovered in the UK. This figure demonstrates how expensive theft and burglary can be for homes in the UK if they are not sufficiently secured.

To protect yourself and your family, you should consider taking out home insurance and also taking necessary steps to secure the windows of your home.