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Home security issues in Summer

Right, I don’t want to get too controversial but blimey Charlie, it hasn’t half been hot this week. Was it really only a couple of months ago we were having late winter snow, or did I dream that? Looking at the forecast, it seems there won’t be any let up in the hot weather for at least the next week, so I guess we’d better just accept it and enjoy it or cope with it the best we can. Although if you could kindly refrain from going around the supermarket without your tops on, I’d be every so grateful. And the same goes for the men too.

Summer definitely has its advantages – lower heating costs, more barbecues, that tinge of excitement when we comfortably beat a couple of weak teams in the World Cup. (at the time of writing we’ve just lost to Belgium but who knows, if you’re reading this in the future from your spaceships, we might have already won the tournament). However, summer does bring with it issues in terms of home security. I’ll just touch on a couple here so that you can be aware of the pitfalls and be able to enjoy a summer free of any break-in drama.

Summer home security risks

Year on year, the summer months see a hefty rise in thefts from gardens and sheds. Rates are over a quarter higher than they are in the cooler months and for obvious reasons – the longer days aren’t just good news for the barbecue lovers and those lovely people who decide to mow their lawn the minute you’ve got in from a swelteringly long day at work. The weather also brings out the dodgier elements in society. We may often associate burglars with operating under the cover of darkness, but although there’s something in that, burglars are human too and are going to be far happier going out in the warmer evenings than freezing themselves to death in the depths of winter.

I’ve mentioned before that security of outbuildings is often neglected by householders. Quite understandably, your shed or garage may not be as high a priority for you as your main residence, leading you to pay it little attention. However, burglars also know about this quirk of human nature and are thus more likely to target sheds or outbuildings through the very fact they assume these will be less protected than your main house. They also know that sheds and garages can hold expensive tools and equipment, especially during the summer months. Not only lawnmowers and strimmers, but new garden furniture, bicycles, and all manner of other equipment.

Choosing the right insurance

A break in to your shed or garage can be distressing in more ways than one. Yes, you’ll have the emotional impact of a break in and the annoyance at the criminality, but you may also then find that none of your equipment is actually insured.

House insurance policies, unsurprisingly, can not always be the clearest. A recent survey suggested that a quarter of all standard home contents policies do not cover high value thefts from outbuildings.

Now you may think you don’t have much of high value in your shed or garage, but when you add up all the contents, especially if they include lawnmowers, bikes, electric tools and anything you keep in storage, it can soon all add up. It is thought that over one in ten of people have more than £2,000 worth of belongings on their property but not in their main house, and most of these will not have the necessary insurance to cover these possessions.

As well as the cumulative value, some insurers will place a limit on how much can be claimed for any single item. Therefore, you may not get the full value back of any item you are storing in an outbuilding. I would urge you to check your home insurance policy to see exactly what is and isn’t covered. Okay, it’s not the most exciting thing you can do with your time (although still slightly more exciting than the England v Belgium game) but it’s worth a few minutes of your day just so that you know if you’ve got the best cover you can.

If you find your insurance doesn’t totally cover everything (and to be honest, even if it does), I’d still advise that, if possible, you keep any expensive items in your house rather than in a shed or garage. Given the focus we put on home security, it’s more than likely that it will be much better protected. If moving the item to your house isn’t feasible, then consider purchasing a strong padlock as a deterrent to any opportunistic thieves. Keep garages and sheds locked – make it a routine at the end of the day to check, and you could even fit a motion activated alarm in there – these are relative inexpensive these days and could be well worth the investment.