Majority Of Homeowners Plan To Increase Home Security In Lead Up To Christmas – AA
Over half of Irish homeowners are planning to take additional precautions to make their homes more secure in the lead up to Christmas, recent AA research has found.
A survey of over 6,000 homeowners undertaken by AA Home Insurance found that 31% of respondents described themselves as “very likely” to take extra security measures to protect their home in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, a further 25% of those surveyed stated they were “somewhat likely” to bolster their home security.
The survey also found that just 1 in 12 homeowners describe themselves as “very unlikely” to take efforts to their home more secure this Christmas.
“Home security is a concern for all of us all year round, but the fear of burglary tends to spike in the winter months as a result of increased darkness. For homeowners who haven’t already done so, now is a great time to check that their burglar alarm is in full working order and any potential entry points into their home are secure,” Mark Watterson, Insurance Director at AA Ireland stated. “People are only too aware that the winter months and particularly the Christmas period bring a greater burglary risk and that’s why AA Home Insurance increases the contents cover of all our customer by 10% automatically for the month of December and January.”
AA Home Insurance is also warning homeowners to get creative when hiding presents around their home this year, after the survey found that over a fifth of people (21.90%) will hide their gifts in a wardrobe in their home.
“When you think about hiding Christmas presents, your main concern tends to be ensuring they are somewhere where the kids or your partner won’t find them. However, it’s also important to bear in mind that wardrobes and drawers are among the first places that a burglar will check if they manage to break into your home,” Watterson added. “Making your home more secure will help prevent burglaries, but hiding any valuable items in a more obscure location will also reduce your risk of suffering significant losses if someone does force their way into your home.”
For homeowners concerned about their risk of burglary, AA Home Insurance has put together a list of tips to help make your home more secure this winter.