Theftive season

By Sarah Modlock

21 December 2005

Home is where the heart is over Christmas. It's also where burglars and the fire brigade will be for the unlucky few. By now, many homes will be full of presents and fairy lights and insurance companies believe this can attract misfortune.

My final gift to you this side of the new year is a bumper pack of tips to help protect you from festives nasties. Unfortunately, my fairy Godmother powers do not extend to saving you from annoying family members, boring presents or being beaten at Cluedo.

Let's start with security. Some people cannot face heading to the high street for their Christmas shopping. So they let you do it for them. An incredible 80,000 domestic burglaries were reported over last year's Christmas period. With this in mind, Bradford & Bingley is encouraging people to assess their home security and ensure that they are properly protected. They recommend that you are sufficiently covered for the presents you have bought and say that if you need to add any expensive gifts onto your policy, now is the time to do it. 'Knowing that you are insured should the worst happen means you can enjoy your celebrations stress-free, safe in the knowledge your home and its contents are protected,' says the firm's head of general insurance, Dave Foyle. Of course it goes without saying that you should lock up properly, put some lights on timer devices if you are away and ask neighbours to keep an eye on your property.

To provide customers with peace of mind, Bradford & Bingley, More Th>n, Tesco, Churchill, Budget, Direct Line and Virgin are some of the insurers which automatically increase your sum insured by 10% for the month of December. Esure bumps their policies up by 15%. Others, such as Norwich Union and Zurich will increase cover by a set amount of £3,000. Some standard policies may provide 'unlimited cover' over Christmas but check the small print as this may not include certain single items or high value items. If you are given jewellery, electrical goods or other items which increase the value of your home contents then it is worth reviewing your cover for January onwards.

Fire and ice

Once you have locked up tight, you need to work out how to get out again in an emergency. Norwich Union says there has been a two-fold increase in fire claims on Christmas Day since 2000. The insurer is expecting to receive 55% more claims between Christmas and New Year compared with a typical 8-day period.

It cites the case of policyholder Mark Jones from London. Christmas 2004 is one he'll never forget. Mark returned with his wife from a Christmas Eve party to find the house filled with smoke because they'd forgotten a joint of gammon on the stove. Christmas was ruined: his children had to move out of their home, while he and his wife spent hours trying to rid their home of smoke and sort out the damage which cost£3,500 to repair. While Mr Jones' fire started in the kitchen, analysis of Norwich Union claims data reveals that it's Christmas lights, paper decorations and the increasing use of candles that combine to form the biggest fire threat over the Christmas period.

'We all like Christmas lights, decorations and candles - but they can all be potential fire hazards,' says Sir Graham Meldrum, HM Chief Inspector Fire & Rescue Services. 'By taking just a few simple precautions, you can reduce the risks for yourself and your family. In particular, I would especially urge everyone to ensure that they have a working smoke alarm installed on each floor level in their home,' he says.

If you have any kind of emergency at home during the Christmas holiday, such as a flood, boiler breakdown or wiring problem, then access to trades-people is limited and the costs can run into hundreds of pounds before anyone has set foot through your door. In these circumstances, Home Emergency cover can be useful. Prices start from around £50 a year but additional extras with some firms can push the cost of cover up to nearer £200 and it's vital to check the actual level over cover that's provided and what emergencies it covers you for. Read the small print on your existing household insurance policy as you may well find that your insurer will offer this already, or at the very least will add it to your policy for an additional premium. Log on to insuresupermarket.com when you shop around for home insurance.

12 top tips for a claim-free Christmas:

•  Don't tempt any unwanted guests - keep all presents out of view.

•  Secure all accessible windows, especially those on the ground floor and near drainpipes and flat roofs, with key-operated locks.

•  Ensure your Christmas lights are wired correctly and replace old Christmas lights with a new set which adhere to British Standards Regulations. Poor wiring is a source of many accidents and much damage over the festive period. If in doubt consult a qualified electrician.

•  Ensure you check the smoke alarms in your home are working. Check them on a weekly basis and do not be tempted to remove batteries.

•  Make your escape plan. Get out alive - plan your escape route for the event of fire and ensure all your family and guests know where the door and window keys are kept.

•  Avoid overloading plug sockets and use a power-breaker, which will automatically cut the power in case of any faulty electrics.

•  Ensure you turn off all Christmas lights and extinguish all candles before you go out or go to bed.

•  Keep paper decorations, streamers, tinsel and young children well away from lights, fires and candles.

•  Don't be distracted when cooking. Take special care when lighting the Christmas pudding.

•  Leave heating on in your home if you are going away for Christmas or New Year to avoid burst pipes. Make sure you know where your stopcock is and how to turn it off.

•  Keep details of your insurer's emergency contact number handy, just in case.

•  Finally, if in doubt, drink more Champagne. OK so that's not strictly an insurance company recommendation but I promise it works.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy Christmas and a prosperous 2006.