Bonfire Night sparks burglary season

This is the week we finally crack and fire up the heating. The first full week of darkening days. The week we mark with a cluster of light-filled traditions that herald the winter and challenge dark spirits in a way our ancestors might even vaguely recognise.

It’s also the week the number of burglaries pick up across the country.

Halifax reported a 35 per cent increase in claims for forced burglaries in the darker months of last year compared with summertime figures.

In fact, Aviva’s home insurance claims for theft rose by 115 per cent on Bonfire Night alone in 2018 compared with typical days, not least because so many of us leave our homes to attend parties.

When we do go out, 40 per cent of us don’t check that our windows are secure and 29 per cent don’t check our doors. But if your doors are unlocked or windows ajar and a thief can wander in, you’ll probably have voided your home insurance.

Other common ways to scupper your chances of a successful claim if you are burgled include posting pictures on social media while on holiday, putting a home up for sale without telling your insurer and even renovating without informing them.

They are increasingly expensive mistakes to make. The average home insurance premium has increased by a quarter in the last three years, says MoneySuperMarket, and now comes in at just under £145 for a combined policy.

Up 13 per cent in only 12 months nationwide, Londoners pay the most with those in northwest London forking out £268.10 each year. That’s more than twice as much as someone living in Sunderland due to higher burglary rates, and higher building and repair costs to put things right.

So how can you boost your chances of keeping burglars out and claims watertight this winter?

Lock up and look busy

Thieves and burglars are opportunists. They’ll look for easy ways in with the added bonus of quiet entry without the alarming sound of broken glass or forced doors to draw attention to them.

Glass panels on doors can be a real weak spot. If you think glass could be a problem in your home, think about replacing it with laminated glass or using a film that sticks over the glass to make it harder to break.

With most thefts taking less than 10 minutes, keep doors and windows shut and locked as much as possible, even if you’re only popping out for a minute, spending time at the bottom of the garden or working from home in your spare room, for example.

If you are out, use timers, lights and radios to make your home seem occupied if you won’t get back until after dark.

Consider installing an outside motion-detector light and visible burglar alarm (though preferably one that doesn’t give away whether it is armed or not). They might even help reduce your insurance premiums.

Think hard about the need for that high, thick shrubbery that could offer the perfect hiding spot while they try to break in, and look at using gravel around your home with its tell-tale crunch.

Out of sight, out of reach

Never leave anything valuable – documents included – near doors, the letterbox or a window, as thieves can use coat hangers and fishing rods to hook them. Don’t label your house keys either.

Most professional thieves don’t carry tools with them – they use yours. So store ladders and tools away and keep sheds and outbuildings locked, Aviva warns.

Likewise, keep valuables out of sight and away from windows, especially consoles, games, mobile phones, cameras, computers and other tech, and jewellery.

Think about storing valuable items in unexpected places, away from the bedroom where most burglars know to look. With households often storing valuable gifts in the run up to big annual celebrations, it’s also worth checking your policy covers you for the extras.

Speaking of tech, keep your cyber-security systems up-to-date. Back up everything up in a cloud, and don’t write your passwords down where they can be easily found.

Think like a criminal

You can buy kits to mark or etch your belongings. Using your postcode with your house or flat number, or the first three letters of the name of your home, will increase the chance of your property being returned to you if it is swiped.

Finally, don’t invite the burglars back. Thieves say one of the things they look for when they break in is your calendar. By marking out when you’ll be away – on holiday, for instance – they know exactly when to come back for heavier, bulkier items.