Home Insurance
Home Insurance
Spare keys may cause problems for home owners
Mon, 17 Oct 2005
An increase in home help in British households has lead to a larger circulation of spare sets of keys, leaving homes more vulnerable to theft, a report by Bradford and Bingley has suggested.
Gardeners, cleaners and baby-sitters are often provided with a set of keys to make access to the property easier when the owners are not there, but every extra set of keys handed over adds to the risk of keys being lost, stolen or replicated.
Since home insurance policies are unlikely to cover incidences where entry into the property has not been forced and no loss of keys has been reported, home owners are urged to take precautionary measures in order to avoid loosing out.
"In general, insurance policies do cover you if entry is gained to your home using keys unknowingly lost, stolen or in the possession of other persons," said Dave Foyle, head of general insurance at Bradford & Bingley.
"Insurers will generally pay for the replacement of your keys when they are lost or stolen, but are less likely to pay for replacement locks when keys are merely lost.
"The level of cover that a policy provides does vary so homeowners should check their policy carefully."
Changing the locks of a property when first moving in, checking that insurance policies cover keys being stolen and contacting the insurer immediately if any keys go missing are all recommended by Bradford and Bingley as precautionary measures.
© Adfero LtdRelated Articles
Breakdown cover
FOR ONLY £50!
 |
Comprehensive breakdown cover for your vehicle at very competitive rates... |
- MY EXPRESS
- Making a claim
- Change your details
- Customer services
