Check your home insurance covers your Chiswick property from Halloween and Guy Fawkes celebrations.
Homeowners should exercise extra vigilance over Halloween and Bonfire Night according to top insurance companies.
Norwich Union has compiled data from the past ten years which has revealed Halloween as the worst time of the year for malicious damage and Bonfire Night as the worst for burglaries. There are150 per cent more home insurance claims made on Halloween than on an average day.
Past damages to houses have included smashed windows, tampered doors, devastation caused by eggs, flour and even paint, and often destruction of garden property. Bonfire Night sees a 27 per cent rise in burglaries and is second to Halloween as the worst day of the year for having to make home insurance claims.
Sainsbury’s Home Insurance warns that parties held by children in their parents’ homes are collectively responsible for around £46,000 of damage every night of the year. With Halloween fast overtaking Bonfire Night as autumn’s biggest festival, and falling on a Friday this year, October 31st could prove to be one of the most costly party nights of the year.
With the increasing use of social networking sites Sainsbury’s is warning that homeowners may not be fully covered should their children host parties having posted invites on sites such as Bebo or Facebook. The worry, though, is these parties can easily get out of hand, and if they do, some insurers may claim the homeowner failed to take due care of the property and could refuse to pay up.
Also ensure your insurance policy gives external protection as not all home insurance policies cover against outdoor furniture and ornaments. It is worth checking your policy if you have a garden in case you get 'tricked' rather than 'treated'.
Chiswick Safer Neighbourhood team is on duty both nights for residents to report anti-social behaviour or the inappropriate use of fireworks.
http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&link=police/snt.htm
