Homeowners fail to protect property

Home insurance provider Halifax has said that property owners are being lax when it comes to securing their house and its contents, despite an increase in burglary cases.

With government figures showing that burglary rose four per cent in the second quarter of this year, Halifax found that 22 per cent of households do not keep windows and doors locked when they are in and 17 per cent do not even have a home contents insurance policy in place.

Home insurance claims peak during August, according to the firm, because more people are prone to leaving windows open and this accounts for 29 per cent of burglaries.

Martyn Foulds, senior claims manager at Halifax, said: When it's warm outside people often leave windows and doors open to keep cool, but many don't realise that burglaries often happen while the homeowners are at home, as opportunist burglars reach in through open doors and windows to grab whatever they can.

Recent research by moneysupermarket.com revealed that households in London and Nottingham are the most likely to have to claim on their home insurance following a burglary or theft .