'Protect against garden thieves' with home insurance

Posted : 02-05-2007

As summer approaches, homeowners are being warned to check their home insurance and include loss of garden contents in their policy.

Some home insurance plans do not cover this type of theft, reports Nationwide Building Society (NBS), which said many opportunistic criminals may take advantage of people who leave various outdoor items in the garden.

The company said it receives the most claims for garden furniture, which tops the list of items damaged or stolen while outdoors.

This is followed by bicycles and ornaments, while home insurance claims for statues and children's toys are also in the top five.

Garden machinery - which could include potentially costly items such as hedge cutters or lawnmowers - is the next most popular claim, with clothes on the washing line, flowerpots, water features and trampolines also being claimed for.

"As we move further into spring we begin to see an increase in the number of home insurance claims we receive for items being stolen from gardens or vandalised," said Robin Bailey, insurance director for NBS.

In addition to home cover, NBS also provides car insurance.


© Adfero Ltd

The views expressed within the article are entirely those of Adfero Ltd and are not those of BDML Connect Ltd