Home Insurance Claims Burn Brits’ Green Fingers

Brits have always had a love affair with their gardens. They may not have much land to boast of, but what little they do have they make the most of - trying to reproduce the Chelsea Flower Show in their own backyards. However, while it may be fun to watch our gardens grow, it comes at a cost - and it’s vital to make sure you have suitable home insurance cover in place.

Research by provider esure home insurance, estimates that more than one in ten Brits will spend more than £500 on their gardens this year, splashing the cash on items ranging from tools and equipment to ornaments and furniture. What’s more is that as we run out of space in our homes and outbuildings, many of these expensive items are left unsecured.

In the last 12 months alone more than 650,000 households have fallen victim to garden theft yet more than nine in ten of us regularly leave items out in the garden overnight with jet washers, children’s toys and garden tools topping the list. However, this can offer a green light to opportunist thieves.

The importance of checking your home insurance

The survey suggests that a third of homeowners are storing non-garden items that would usually be found in the home out in their gardens. One in seven even valued the contents of their sheds at more than £1,500.

Cover for these items varies massively depending on the insurance policy you have in place – some home insurers will not cover gardens or outbuildings at all. It’s crucial therefore to check the small print of your home insurance policy to discover exactly what is covered.

There are likely to be conditions applied too. For example, a provider is unlikely to offer a payout if items are stolen from an unlocked shed – yet alarmingly one in ten of those with a shed, never lock it.

Some policies however, will offer extensive cover. Look for cover of garden and outbuildings based on the value of your contents – if you have particularly expensive items that must be kept outside contact your home insurer and see if it will offer specific cover for individual items. Some may offer cover in the region of £2,000 per item.

How to keep your garden secure

As important as it is to have suitable home insurance in place in case the worst happens, any claim will wipe-out your no-claims bonus. As a result it’s best to keep claims to a minimum and the easiest way to do this is to make life difficult for thieves.

Where possible keep items indoors and out of sight. If you have an outbuilding, make sure it is suitably secure. Ask your home insurance provider if it recommends any particular locks – there could be a premium saving if you install the device it recommends. Remember to lock garden gates too and if it’s not too intrusive install large fencing, with your neighbor's co-operation, that would be more difficult for a thief to climb.

There are many ways to strengthen outbuildings. For example, install Perspex or polycarbonate sheets, or even wired glass in windows. Remember to keep ladders, bicycles and lawnmowers anchored by a chain or padlock and use hostile planting around the drainpipes and below the windows of outbuildings.

Sensor lighting is important too. Security lights will shed a spotlight on thieves when they are on the move. Yet around half of the households in the UK do not have them and of those that do one in ten don’t bother to switch them on. Solar lighting is another possibility – anything that makes thieves visible is recommended. Consider installing a CCTV system too – preferably one that is monitored remotely – this can be expensive but should mean you enjoy a sizable home insurance premium reduction.

Fit plant anchors inside large plant pots and chain together items of garden furniture particularly during the winter months. If you have a pond, consider investing in a safety cover – this can protect fish from both thieves and herons.

It’s also wise to ensure that your property never looks uninhabited. So if you go away on holiday ask a neighbor to collect your post; cancel your milk delivery; and consider installing time-switch lights to give the impression that you’re at home.

Nevertheless, even the most savvy homeowner could still fall victim to garden crime so ensure you have suitable home insurance cover in place just in case. You can compare home insurance with one of the many comparison websites online and find a cheap deal that offers the level of cover you need.