This is a story about Philip Chong – a rather unfortunate person who had his house burgled while he was away on a holiday.
Philip had an amazing time holidaying in Bangkok. Upon his return, he discovered that his house had been burgled into. Despite having a good home security system installed, someone had managed to break in and steal several big ticket items such as his TV, stereo system and home appliances.
Still in shock, he quickly lodged a police report and called his insurance agent for advice as his loss was expensive. But lucky for him, his house contents were insured and that gave him some relief.
Unfortunately, cases like Philips’s are altogether too common nowadays.
Nobody can quite believe that something like this could happen to them until it happens. Burglary cases are common during peak festive seasons when many are away on holiday, but here are three steps you can take to prevent burglary when you’re away from home.
1. Register your ‘away’ period at the local police station
About a week before you go on holiday, go to your local police station and tell the police that you will not be home on the specific dates. Then, fill up the form provided. The police will ensure that their patrol cars pass by your house frequently and pay special attention to it, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity.
2. Inform your neighbours or family and friends who live nearby about your absence
Many of these cases happen to those who are not close to their neighbours or do not inform their neighbours that they would be away for an extended period of time. Burglars nowadays are very smart, and they observe and survey a neighbourhood before they break into a home – and often times they pose as transportation vans so that your neighbours will just assume that you’re moving away.
Letting your neighbours or family members or friends who live nearby know about your absence is a good way to prevent break-ins as they would stay vigilant, keeping watch over your house.
3. Buy home contents insurance
Having a home insurance that covers the loss of your home contents will give you peace of mind when you’re away from home. Like Philip above, you will be able to make claims in the event of a break-in.
Some very affordable home contents insurance like Allianz Home Shield does not only cover your home contents, but also provide you with relief benefits like the repair or replacement of doors, locks and windows, cleaning services after a fire or theft at your home and meal and hotel allowance should your home be affected by fire or theft.
Victims can also otherwise opt for an Emergency Relief allowance of RM500 instead if the meal and hotel allowance are not utilised. Home contents insurance helps you to get back on with life should an unfortunate incident happens.
So, the one thing we can learn from this story is to always ensure that your home is protected; especially when you are away on holiday; whether you have the best home security system in place or not. With the many year-end holiday seasons coming up, it is better to stay safe than to feel sorry later.
Images: Sourced from Yahoo Finance, Rime Prevention Security Systems and Property Casualty 360
To learn more about Allianz Home Shield, click here or get an instant quote here.
