Travelling
5 min read
Whoop! You’re off on your holidays, that long awaited stay in the sun is nearing closer.
Have you everything you need?
Why do you need home insurance when you’re away sunning yourself?
Well, you need home insurance all year round not just when you’re away.
What is home insurance?
Home insurance is a type of property insurance which is designed to protect a person’s home against damages to the house itself, or to possessions in the home. Homeowners insurance also provides liability coverage against certain accidents in the home or on the property.
Home insurance provides peace of mind whilst away on holiday that if something happens, your house and contents are covered.
When it comes to choosing home insurance, there are various options available, so it’s recommended to do a bit of research and find the cover that works best for you. As a broker, our sales team can help you with this, if you give them a call on 0800 66 55 44.
Before going off on your holidays, it’s important to prepare your house, so your belongings are safe and you deter burglars.
Top Tips
1.Check your household insurance
Make sure that the insurance you have is the cover you need and that it is valid whilst you are away. If it’s up for renewal when you are away, ensure you get it sorted before you go. Be mindful that some insurer restricts aspects of cover such as theft, malicious damage and escape of water by removing these sections of cover if you leave your home unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days. Also be mindful that personal possessions such as jewellery, smart phones, cameras may also be subject to geographical time limit restrictions – if you believe you will be outside the UK for more than 30 days please talk to us. On occasions you may be able to have your cover extended for that added peace of mind.
2. Keep your valuables well out of sight
If you do intend to keep anything you would hate to lose in the house whilst you are away, distribute them around various locations around the house.
3.Protect yourself and your luggage
Ensure that you also have travel insurance in place. It’s advised that don’t write your name and address on the outside of the luggage, instead enclose a note on the lid of the case, so if your luggage does go missing, it can still be traced back to you. Make sure that your luggage is securely sealed and locked.
4. Social media
Some of us realise that not sharing we’re ‘going’ on holiday is a good move, but we lose the urge when we’re on location and want to share the beautiful sunsets and tropical beaches. Be careful when posting and make sure that your privacy settings are applied so that only your friends can see the posts! Also coach your younger members of the family to do the same and to try to contain their holiday excitement.
5. Don’t leave your house looking empty
Don’t leave any clothes on the washing line and remove any drying racks away so that they cannot be visible through windows.
6. Mow the lawn before going away so that the garden doesn’t look like a field when you return.
7. Nothing says this house is as empty as it seems by curtains drawn during the day so make sure that curtains and blinds are open.
8. Ask a neighbour to remove any post or newspapers from the doormat or anywhere where it can be seen. Royal Mail's Keepsafe service is an option, if you don’t want to bother your neighbour, the postal service holds your post up to 66 days while you are way and delivers them on your return.
9. Ask someone to water your plants, this is to stop them appearing wilting and indicating a missing owner.
10. Cancel any regular deliveries.
11. Install a light on a timer switch that comes on in the evening, but make sure you don’t sure your don’t use it with a visible table lamp as this is an obvious giveaway that the house is empty.
By following these simple steps, you can relax and enjoy your holiday, but should you have any questions or queries about what is the right type of home insurance to suit you, just call AbbeyAutoline and one of our team will happy to help and put your mind at ease.
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Need to speak with us? 08000 66 55 44
