It’s quite likely that, over the next couple of months, you’ll be heading off for a well-earned break. Whether your idea of the perfect holiday is action packed, or whether the only action you want is walking to and from your lounger by the pool, you want to come back with glowing memories. Not to find your home burgled.

That would be bad enough, but it could be even worse. Suppose you make an insurance claim for your lost valuables, only to find the insurer’s loss adjuster turns your claim down? That could happen if they decide you’ve contributed to the situation through negligence.

That would be a nightmare end to your dream holiday.

What Can You Do?

Some of the steps you can take to safeguard your valuables, or at least keep the loss adjuster off your back, are quite straightforward. Burglars watch for homes where lights don’t go on and off, curtains are never opened or closed, and the mail piles up. If you can get a friend, relative or neighbour to go into your home daily while you’re away, that will create the illusion it’s occupied.

Make sure that all your doors and windows have robust locks. That might not keep out a really determined burglar, but it gives you a far better chance, as well as safeguarding your insurance claim if necessary. And make sure all your valuables are securely locked away, preferably in a safe with a combination lock — and a combination that isn’t easy to guess.

If you have valuables in your home, perhaps in any case you should be thinking about alarm systems and cameras. Many systems are surprisingly inexpensive these days, and if you have something that can be checked on your smartphone, you can reassure yourself everything’s fine while you get on with enjoying yourself.

Allied Claims would like to wish you a great holiday — and hope it’s not blighted by burglars.