Ways to save: home insurance premiums

While it’s absolutely necessary these days for homeowners to have house content insurance, should you paying more than you should be for yours? You really don’t need to. The following article details a few ways of saving a bit of cash on your premium – some are free, some will cost a little, but all will save you much more in the long run.
Shut the door A rather obvious point, but you’d be surprised how many people forget it. Always be aware of where doors and windows have been left open or unlocked – even when you’re in the house. It only takes seconds for an opportunist to reach in and grab your car keys or wallet, and come away with thousands of dollars’ worth of your hard-earned property. Similarly, fitting high-quality doors, windows and locks will encourage your insurer to offer you a lower premium.
Lights, cameras, action! Probably the simplest and least expensive measure you can take is fitting movement-sensitive security lights to the outside of your property. Decide where they’d work best if your property were to attract an intruder and put them there. Perhaps you’d like to scare them off before they even get close, or illuminate them as they case out your windows and doors. If you can afford it, invest in a CCTV system and plaster signs up around your property letting potential burglars know they’re being watched.
Alert An intruder alarm will often put a burglar off attempting to break into your property – and it’ll also bag you money off your insurance premium. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that fitting one is enough. If you’re burgled and your insurer finds out that your alarm wasn’t on or that it was faulty, they’ll invalidate your claim. If you can’t afford the real thing, installing a real-looking dummy alarm is a brilliant alternative - burglars are most likely going to avoid finding out whether or not it’s the real deal.
Landscaping Dense trees, high hedges and fencing or walling may well make you feel better protected from the prying eyes of the outside world, but you’re only aiding and abetting a criminal in their endeavour to break into your property unnoticed by passers-by or your neighbours. Take down or lower that fencing, wall, hedge or tree and, if possible, plant thorny bushes under windows or prime spots you think a burglar would try to scale. A gravel driveway will also scare an intruder off because they’ll be spooked if they think you can hear them approaching.
There you have it: a few handy hints to make your castle a lot less appealing to prowling strangers and help you sleep at night. If you can spend money on some or all of these, then make sure you do – it’ll also help you save a lot of money in the long term.