Obligatory safe may not bring down premiums

Buying a safe may ensure that providers will cover you but it will not necessarily lower your premiums, an industry expert has said today.

Anthony Neary at The Safe Shop, explained that while some insurers will insist the customer owns a safe before they can get cover, other factors are more likely to help bring down your premium.

He said: “Door locks and window locks will bring your premium down if you’ve got those fitted but safes are a bit different.

“Certain customers are told that they must buy a safe otherwise they’re not going to give them cover for whatever items they’ve got there.”

Meanwhile, the British Crime Survey recently revealed that 300,555 offences of burglary were recorded in homes in England and Wales from 2005 to 2006.

This number represents a seven per cent decrease from the previous year, with criminal damage offences also down by four per cent.

The Home Office reports that most burglaries are conducted by opportunist thieves, with two in every ten burglaries not involving force.

Tags: expert, security, safe shop, Home Office, today, window locks, lower your premiums, Containers

ABI: Security measures help lower premiums

Taking measures to reduce the risk to property will not only improve security but will lower insurance premiums.

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), factors such as security lights and gravel contribute to much-needed security that will keep home insurance to a minimum.

Kelly Ostler, a spokesperson for the ABI, said: “Having gravel pathways can help because they make a noise so you can hear intruders. Keeping your perimeters secure, so if you’ve got a garden gate, keeping it locked.

“Security lights combined with gravel tends to be quite good. Different insurance companies will ask different things but you can give them extra information.”

She added that crime levels in the area will also affect premiums but, aside from joining the neighbourhood watch, there is little that can be done about that.

Furthermore, making sure the property is well maintained is a necessary duty and it may help avoid the possibility of any claims being declined, Ms Ostler advised.

According to the Home Office’s crime reduction website, in two out of ten burglaries entry to the property is not forced with the majority of thefts executed by opportunistic thieves.

Tags: crime reduction website, crime levels, Home Office, duty, gravel, office, Insurance, different things