Over 22 percent of families with children under five have had toys taken from outside their homes according to a Halifax home insurance survey.
The most common item to be taken was a childs bicycle, making up almost 1 in 5 of all home insurance claims from those surveyed. Prams and buggies were also a popular target for thieves, no doubt driven by the costs of such items being quite high. The advice from the Halifax insurance people is to put items away safely when not in use, using a garden shed or bringing them into the house.
A Halifax spokesman understood the potential difficulties of being able to put everything away at some times, especially during the Summer when children are in and out of the house all day, but it is worth doing to avoid the psychological stresses it can cause, even if they have contents insurance in place to cover the financial cost.
Sainsburys Bank are warning cyclists that even when their bicycle is at home it is still at risk of being stolen and should be protected accordingly.
Over 1,200 bicycles are stolen every day according to Sainsburys Bank figures, showing how popular they are with thieves. It is because of the ready made market for bikes and the fact that they are often easy to take away that the theft numbers are so high, something that Sainsburys would really like to see change. Having home insurance that covers the bicycle is one thing but it is far better not to have to lose the bike and claim in the first place.
Anyone with a bicycle is advised to not the make, model and frame number of their bike and take a picture if possible. Then they should check to make sure it is included in the home insurance policy. Sainsburys Bank remind policyholders to check for any exceptions to cover, so they know if the bike must be stored in a locked garage overnight or something like that.
The age of 46 has been found to be the point where own the greatest value of possessions according to a More Than survey.
At this age we average just under GBP41,000 worth of possessions it has been found, with the next best age being 28, when the figure is a little over GBP33,000. However over half of us actually have no idea of the value of items they own, which is a pretty important point when it comes to arranging adequate home insurance.
For anyone wanting to work out their own possessions value More Than Insurance have very kindly added a calculator to their website that will do just this. So pop along and work out whether you have enough home insurance cover today.
