Garden thieves take average of £291
June 19, 2008 by admin
Filed under News, News-Insurance
People who leave their gardens and sheds unsecured can expect to lose an average of £291.30 if someone breaks in, according to Sainsbury’s Home Insurance.
Neil Laird, manager at the company, said that the number of burglaries of gardens is on the up and homeowners should be wary of leaving their garden sheds unlocked.
According to Confused.com, people leave an average of £800 worth of items in their garden sheds.
Furthermore, Mr Laird warned that some homes may be targeted by burglars more than once.
“Homes seen to have ‘rich-pickings’ that are left unsecured, may be targeted again so as well as tightening up security, it’s worth picking a home insurance policy that allows you to benefit from and protect your no claims discount,” he commented.
According to the research from Sainsbury’s Home Insurance found that 11 per cent of items stolen from gardens are worth between £401 and £1,000.
Check your garden is protected against theft
June 7, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Insurance
Although the British summertime is a pleasant period for green fingered people and garden lovers, it is also a time that can increase the risk of theft from outside your actual house – from your back garden.
Many people are looking forward to spending time sprucing up their gardens, adding plants, and enjoying barbeques with families, and the popularity of garden programmes on television has seen more and more people invest in their gardens, often spending huge amounts of money on their pride and joy.
However, as summertime approaches insurers are warning consumers to check that they have adequate cover to protect the items on their gardens. Summertime thieves will target everything from expensive plants and shrubs to barbeques, lawnmowers, decorative ornaments, furniture, tools, and just about anything else that could be of value in your garden. And without adequate cover this could mean financial losses as well as a ruined garden.
According to the Halifax the average claim for garden based theft last year was around £400. Claims tripled between March and August last year according to the Halifax, and there were total claims of around £1 million last year relating to garden based theft. Some of the items may be covered under the regular home insurance cover, but many do not cover plants and therefore additional cover may be required.
Consumers should contact their home insurance providers to see what sort of garden items and equipment are already covered, and can then arrange additional cover if required. Cover on garden items can vary from one insurance provider to another, and terms and conditions for making a claim can also vary, so this is something else that consumers will need to check.
Tom Smith
7th June 2007
Dry weather causing subsidence threat
May 17, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Insurance
Climate change could have an effect on the number of home insurance claims made in Britain.
New research shows that the 80 per cent of garden centres in the country have seen an increase in people enquiring about subsidence of their property in the last year.
This is thought to be down to the hot weather which has led to soil drying out and tree roots moving to find water, leading to the ground beneath properties being destabilised.
“Last year’s water restrictions highlighted the threatening conditions for subsidence,” said Neil Curling from Halifax Home Insurance.
“With Britain having already experienced unprecedented high temperatures in 2007 and an extremely dry April, we are concerned that increasing numbers of properties could be affected and are urging householders to be vigilant to this threat.”
The Met Office is predicting above average temperatures for the summer ahead, which will only exacerbate the problem, but homeowners’ habits could also be having an effect.
Around 76 per cent of garden centre managers say that demand for exotic plants and trees has increased in the last 12 months but Halifax is warning buyers to do their research first.
“Green-fingered Britons planting new exotic species, should carefully research the impact they could have on their garden and their home,” continued Mr Curling.
“Britons may be unaware of the appropriate distance to plant an exotic species away from their property to ensure the tree or shrub’s root system does not cause subsidence later down the line as the roots take water out of the soil.”
Halifax says that something as simple as trimming a tree or shrub can keep protect a property from subsidence.
