Christmas - the most wonderful time of the year, except our homes are arguably never more at risk.

Read on to learn:

• Why homes are most at risk at Christmas[i]
• What you can do and what action you can take
• Ensuring your insurance policy is right for you.

Why your home is most at risk over Christmas

Because our homes probably have hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds worth of gifts under the Christmas tree, your house is the perfect target for a thief looking to short-cut their Christmas shopping - all at your expense!

There’s plenty to motivate burglars too, with the cost of living making many homes feel the pinch this year.

The laptop you inadvertently leave on the kitchen counter, may only be worth £20 to £50 down the pub, but some thieves are that desperate they’ll take that chance to fund their festivities.

Dark nights often betray whether you’re at home or not and could encourage brazen burglars to dismiss the risks of an alarm in return for quick and easy pickings.

This all adds up to make your home a potential target this Christmas.

When celebrations get messy

The festive season is also a time when there’s an increased likelihood you’ll accidentally damage your property.

It’s a time to enjoy ourselves, but exuberant party antics can lead to spills of mulled wine on pale carpets or enthusiastic dancing breaking your posh light fitting.

Burglaries, accidents, fire damage and other events should be adequately covered by your insurance policy, but many householders will have insufficient cover for the value of the items that they want to protect with peace of mind.

Too little cover may give the insurance company the ‘wiggle-room’ they need to opt out of reimbursing you for either any, or the full amount, of your claim. That’s because you may have under-estimated your many and various risks and haven’t been paying a sufficient premium to cover those risks.

It only takes a few purchases of brand-new luxury goods to take you over the threshold of the total value of possessions in most insurance policies – especially those policies you buy online.

When claiming for an expensive watch, you may recover only a fraction of the price you originally paid for it, if you have insufficient cover – ie the premium you’ve been paying doesn’t balance with the value of your possessions. 

What can you do?

Therefore, even if you might be preoccupied with other questions during the festive season, such as ‘Who's picking up great grandma?’, ‘Have I ordered that turkey?’ or ‘Have we got enough fairy lights?’, put your mind at rest by reviewing your contents insurance and ensuring it covers how much the items in your home are actually worth.

Many people also may be unaware of the process should they need to file a claim or the consequences of being under-insured.

Ensure your policy is right for you

So, before you invest in that beautiful piece of jewellery or splash out on a PS5, refer to your house insurance policy first.

Always read the fine print of your home insurance contents policy thoroughly, because fine print is where you’ll find:

• Exactly what you’re covered for
• Where your cover may be lacking
• The get-out clauses insurers use to limit their risk – ie that’s what they’ll quote back to you in the event of a claim.

Check your policy, then check it again

You may be one of those who is already sufficiently covered, so you may not need to make any changes to your contents insurance policy to protect your new purchases from theft among other risks. However, it is still important to check your current policy, paying close attention to any limits or exclusions that could affect any claim you may need to make. 

The time is always right to extend your coverage if you discover that your insurance falls short of what you require. 

And if you’re going away this Christmas, remember to check your ‘away from home’ coverage for your contents insurance to ensure your new gifts are adequately protected.

Spend 5 minutes now to save heart-ache later

Take a five-minute break from the festivities to carefully read the policy terms. It can give you valuable peace of mind or encourage you to invest in the extra coverage you need to see you and yours safely through to the New Year.

A quick policy check will reveal whether your insurer automatically increases its contents insurance limits over the festive period; some do, but many don't.

Insuring your home is crucial at any time of year, but the festive period is high risk for burglaries and damage to your home, so it’s more important than ever to have insurance that protects you properly. Then, you can put your feet up and enjoy the holidays with complete peace of mind.  

It should be a simple decision, but home insurance policies can get complicated, so why not chat this through with us during your free consultation or call us on 0121 285 8528 for a five-minute sense-check.

The purpose of this communication is to provide technical and generic information and should not be interpreted as a personal recommendation or advice.