Black Friday - are you covered?

With Christmas just around the corner, Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to stockpile gifts at a discounted rate.

We’ve become accustomed to the usual images of Black Friday – hoards of people scrambling around shops, fighting to get their hands on a bargain.

While the official day is 24 November, many retailers are now offering great savings throughout the month of November in a bid to avoid huge crowds.

Unfortunately, during this period and the run up to Christmas, the number of burglaries and break-ins increase as thieves take advantage of the high-value items people have bought.

It's therefore important to take extra measures to ensure your possessions are safe, secure and protected.

Make sure you’re covered

If you want any of the items in your home to be covered, you must have contents insurance. Separate to buildings insurance, which only covers the structure and fittings of you house, contents insurance covers the items inside.

Simply put, if you were to turn your house upside down and give it a shake, anything that fell out is covered by content insurance and anything that remained fixed in place is covered by buildings insurance. However, the 2 types of insurance can be purchased together.

It’s important to note that when you purchase a contents insurance policy, you’ll agree a maximum level of cover (the maximum amount the insurer will pay-out should you need to claim). After Black Friday, your new items could push the value of your belongings above the limit previously set with your insurer.

While some insurers increase the cover level during December, it’s worth checking your policy in case you need to adjust your cover level during this period. Once your policy level returns to normal, you should consider whether the cover level is enough.

Home insurance also protects you against fires, severe weather damage and other potential accidentals you may have. Remember, home insurance is for life, not just for Christmas.

Out of sight, out of mind

The dark nights make it easier for burglars in many ways. Not only can they work out when the house is unoccupied, but they can also peep through the windows and identify what possessions you own.

Before you switch on the light, close the curtains so you’re not giving potential thieves a direct view into your home. Keep any presents and high-value items well-hidden and out of sight too.

Light it up

Lighting has proven to be an effective tool in home security, with both motion-activated lights and street lighting acting as useful deterrents.

In a study of 2,000 UK adults conducted by Opinion Matters on behalf of Co-op Insurance, only 24 per cent said that they have motion activated lights installed. This highlights a great risk.

Whether it means installing motion activation lights or simply leaving the TV on while you pop to the shops, lighting is an effective means of keeping criminals at bay.

Lock it up

Findings from the same study show 55 per cent of people sleep with their window open at night and 24 per cent of people leave their doors unlocked while they are home. To help decrease interest from thieves, ensure your windows and doors are locked. If you have an alarm, make sure you set it.

Be smart

Smart home and car systems don’t just offer convenience for the family, they can also offer you protection against burglars. Thieves are opportunists and prefer to avoid tricky break-ins. So be smart and keep your home and car connected.

CCTV

CCTV cameras are among the biggest deterrents for thieves. Despite this, only 14 per cent of those surveyed say that they have CCTV cameras installed in their home. To reduce the odds of being targeted, you should consider purchasing CCTV. What’s more, if you are targeted you could use the CCTV to provide valuable evidence.

Attract attention

Unsurprisingly, criminals don’t like attracting unwanted attention. If you can gain attention at the point of thieves approaching your property, you are more likely to keep it safe. Dogs can offer more than just companionship when it comes to protecting your property.

For further information, Neighbourhood Watch has a comprehensive security checklist for burglar proofing your home.