Home Contents Insurance - reducing your risk of claims

There are a good number of ways that you can reduce your risk of claims for Home Contents Insurance, and as a result, reduce the cost of buying your next policy.

The first one is to buy a burglar alarm. Nowadays you can get wireless systems that tie in with movement detectors across your house. The system can be set up in just a few minutes and immediately will reduce your costs of home insurance. As a bonus, it will also reduce the likelihood of you being burgled because the statistical truth is that houses are far less likely to be burgled when a prominent burglar alarm is on the outside. No burglar wants to be rushed into escaping because a loud wailing sound interrupts their pernicious line of theft.

You should also ensure that windows and doors have sufficient locks and bolts to keep all but the most determined thieves out of your house. Insurance companies will ask whether your front and back door have deadlocks as well as regular door key locks and this will certainly reduce your premiums if you do have these.

It is advisable not to store ladders and steps in outside sheds or buildings because it only takes a boy (or girl) with a bucket to pretend to be a window-cleaner and have a good old snoop around the entire house before deciding whether or not to steal your stuff. Don't make it easy for them - in fact you can plant prickly bushes and hedges around the downstairs windows to make life a basic misery if they want to try to peek in or climb in through a downstairs window.