Does your home security meet with the insurance requirements?

This week and last I’ve been very busy with my independent security consultancy work, which is why there’s been an absence of news stories during the week (Sorry about that).  I visited three homes and one small business and each one gets a comprehensive report highlighting the things that they need to do to reduce their various crime risks.  One of the problems I keep coming up against, which I need to point out to all of you, is a failure to comply with an insurer’s security conditions. Let me explain:

If you are receiving a discount on your insurance premium, because you have told them that you have an alarm, you must set the alarm whenever the house is left unoccupied. If, for some reason, you feel that this just isn’t going to happen then don’t accept the discount, because if you do and haven’t set the alarm and you suffer a burglary then the insurers may not pay your claim.

Likewise, if the insurer tells you that all your windows must be key locked when the house is unoccupied, don’t go out leaving unlocked windows behind you and make sure that your windows actually have locks. Thumb turn catches on sliding sash windows, for example, are not locks, because locks have keys and once again, if you get broken into through that window and the locks were not in use or what you thought was a lock wasn’t then the insurers might not pay.

Also, make sure you’ve got the right locks on your doors. In one of the houses I visited the occupiers had excellent locks fitted to their main entrance door (in accordance with the insurers requirements) and thought they had decent locks on their other external timber doors.  When I checked, two of the doors had mortice locks that did not meet BS 3621 (The insurer’s requirement) and a pair of French doors was completely missing a centrally located mortice sashlock.

I discover these problems on just about every occasion I visit someone’s home (or business) and I know they are best pleased when I point these things out to them. So, do yourself a favour and check your door and window locks against what your insurers require. 

In fact, why not complete our free Home Security Survey app at the same time.

You know it makes sense!

Home Security Survey http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/home-security-assessment/468/home-security-survey--diy/