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Remember the olden days where you could leave the key in the door for your friends and neighbours to come and go… unfortunately we don’t have that privilege anymore.
Security
is the most important factor to fight against possible burglaries. Make sure you check your home insurance
policy for your Underwriters rules and regulations around locks and alarms. There’s
no point in securing great cover and then leaving the door unlocked, giving an
open invitation to your home. As they
say… no point closing the gate after the horse has bolted.
So,
let’s have a look at some security tips you can put in place to make sure you
and your family stay safe and your home
insurance has you covered. An Post Insurance Home Insurance is arranged and
administered by An Post Insurance and is underwritten by Aviva Insurance
Ireland DAC.
An
Post Insurance have used some well-known songs and lyrics to help us remember a
new security routine to assist us in our everyday lives. Perhaps you can use
these too or come up with your own favourites to help you memorise the main
points to action when leaving your home!
Keep burglars ‘Locked out of
Heaven’
Your
house could be ‘heaven’ to potential burglars so let’s not make it an easy
target.
·
It seems so obvious, but don’t
forget to lock all doors and windows when you’re not home. Unlocked doors and opened windows may mean
you are not covered by your Home Insurance so make sure it’s a natural thing
you do when leaving your home. Check all doors and windows before you
leave. www.garda.ie
confirmed that 1 in 5 burglars will enter a home via an unlocked door or
window, so let’s not offer up our home on a silver plate.
·
Don’t forget to check all
garage, basement and sliding doors are locked too.
·
External doors should have good
quality locks fitted. These would
include 5-lever mortice locks for wooden doors, multi-point locking for uPVC
doors. (Check your home insurance policy documents for what is required from
your home insurer.)
·
‘Neighbours… everybody needs
good neighbours’…. Make your neighbours your new besties so you can leave a
spare key with them for cases of emergency... never leave a key outside or in
your letterbox.
‘Light Up.. Light Up’
According
to www.garda.ie nearly half of burglaries in
our Emerald Isle occur between 5pm and 11pm.
So, let’s shine a light on our unwelcome visitors by lighting up our
home and garden when we are not home.
·
Set a timer for lights to turn
on inside the house when it’s due to get dark and you’re not due home.
·
Invest in some motion detector
flood lights outside your home and in the garden to deter anyone up to no good.
·
A bit strapped in the finance
department these days?? Not to worry... why not head to your local Dealz or similar
discount store to pick up some solar lights for your garden that will come on
automatically when it’s starts getting dark.
‘Ring the Alarm’
Using
a visible home alarm system will be a natural deterrent for any burglar. I mean who wants to be caught halfway in a
window when the bells start ringing.
An Post Insurance currently have an excellent promotion on offer with Smartzone. Smartzone Home Alarm System is a fully interactive system which allows you to control and monitor your home security from your smartphone from anywhere in the world.
All
you have to do is insure your home with An Post Insurance and you can get a Complimentary
Smartzone Home Alarm system worth €699^, Which includes 5 security sensors, a
keypad and installation What’s more if you have a Smartzone Home Alarm System
installed and maintained you’ll be entitled to an 18%** off your home insurance at your next renewal.
If you avail of the offer, you’ll be required to pay a monitored alarm contract
of €29.99 a month on a fixed 36-month term with Smartzone, the producer of the
product. Acceptance criteria, terms and conditions apply. Terms and conditions
available at anpostinsurance.ie/promotion.
Don’t make it ‘obvious’
Try
not to establish any obvious patterns so potential robbers can be sure when
your home is vacant.
Nowhere to Hide’
Don’t give them somewhere to hide. If you have trees or shrubs in your garden, make sure they are trimmed back and not an ideal place for someone to hide behind until the coast is clear. A few thorny plants wouldn’t go amiss around the perimeter and windows for a bit of extra security.
‘Holiday… Celebrate’
When you are going on holidays and leaving your home vacant, don’t advertise it on social media. This could be seen as an open invitation to your home.
www.Garda.ie
have some good tips here
for what burglars look out for when targeting or marking a home.
In
all instances of home security, it is very important that you read through the
Terms and Conditions of your home insurance policy so you know what is expected
to ensure your home is covered in the event of a burglary.
^€699 based on the normal retail price of the Smartzone
Home Alarm System as of May 2020.
**Discounts are applied consecutively and are subject to a minimum premium of
€230 for buildings & contents and €135 for buildings only/contents only.
18% annual discount on Home Insurance applies at new business/renewal stage and
is for having a Smartzone Home Alarm System installed and maintained. Alarm
discount normally 12.5% for regular approved alarms. You need to call us and
let us know you have installed the Smartzone Home Alarm System to avail of this
discount.
An Post Insurance Home Insurance is underwritten by
Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC.
One Direct (Ireland) Limited, trading as An Post
Insurance is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. One Direct (Ireland)
Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of An Post.
All the information on this
blog is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. While
An Post Insurance makes every effort to ensure that the information appearing
on this blog is accurate and complete, it does not make any warranties about
the completeness, reliability or accuracy of this information, whether express
or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability,
fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. Any action you take upon
the information you find on this blog is strictly at your own risk. An
Post Insurance will not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential
losses and/or damages in connection with the use of, or action taken in reliance
on information contained in our blog.
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