Tips on protecting your home over the holiday season

South Africans cannot afford to be complacent about securing their homes - particularly over the festive season when incidents of crime usually increase.

“It is crucial that you take proactive steps to protect your belongings that you leave behind when away on holiday,” says Haydn Marchant, Executive Head of Sales at Lion of Africa Insurance Company. He says that it is equally important to ensure you have financial protection against any loss of household possessions that may occur when you are away. Even though such losses can’t be wished away, they can be mitigated to an extent.”

According to Marchant, there are some precautionary measures one could take before going on holiday. “You should inform your security company when you are going away on holiday. Stop deliveries like papers or ask a neighbour to collect your mail and fit a lights timer so that your lights could automatically be turned on at night. Also, an alarm system linked to a response unit is crucial, so ensure you have one and ensure that it working properly.”

Despite following all these steps, the high crime rate in South Africa means that there is still a distinct possibility that your house will be robbed while you are away. That is why it is so important that you have adequate household insurance. Here are some helpful tips to ensure that your property and household contents are properly covered:

· Make sure that you familiarise yourself with the conditions of your cover and the claims procedures.

· Always report incidences of damages or loss to your insurer even if you will not be claiming for them.

· Make sure you note all household members, including any rent-paying individuals on your policy

· Always ensure that the information on your policy is up to date. The value of your household goods may increase with time or you may purchase additional household items.

· Inform your insurance company if you plan on being away from home for extended periods of time.

· Collect and keep the receipts, or copies thereof, of your larger possessions like you TV, DVD player, fridge, microwave etc, not forgetting those that are small in size but big in price like cameras and jewellery.

If for example an alarm system is a condition of your burglary/theft cover, ensure that it is in a working condition at all times and armed when there is no one at home.