Direct Line increase home insurance cover for Christmas
According to Direct Line Home Insurance we’re going to spend an average of £385 each on Christmas presents this year. For the whole of the UK that works out to a staggering £18.3 billion of Christmas pressies lying around our houses before they go underneath the Christmas tree.
Research by Direct Line says that 42 per cent of UK households hide all the Christmas presents in one place; usually the master bedroom making for easy pickings if a burglar manages to break in.
Head of Home Insurance at Direct Line, Andrew Lowe said: “With all the extra possessions in the home, Christmas can be a popular time for burglaries so people need to make sure they are vigilant with their home security.
“Those buying popular gadgets such as digital cameras, laptops, iPods and the new iPhone need to be especially careful as these items can be easy-pickings for burglars to steal and re-sell.
“After Christmas and New Year some may find that the value of their household contents has significantly increased in value, so it is worth reassessing home insurance policies to make sure people are not underinsured.”
Direct Line is increasing its home insurance cover for customers from 1st December 2007 to January 15th 2008. The increase will be £5,000 or 10 per cent, whichever is greater, specifically to cover Christmas presents.
Of course another solution would be to opt for an insurer that provides an unlimited amount of contents cover. However, you would need to check that your policy covers things like Christmas presents, I’m not sure if presents are regarded as the standard contents of a house…possibly not.