Theft hints and tips

We have some tips for you on what to do should you need to make a claim following a theft, and what to consider to prevent theft from happening.

In the event of theft

If you haven't already done so, call the police straight away. Try not to disturb anything in your home, as this may destroy valuable evidence (take advice from the police in this respect when you call). They will often dust round the point of entry or exit for fingerprints, so try not to touch these areas.
Make a note of the crime reference provided by the police. Sometimes they will only provide you with a reference number when you report the loss and will forward the crime reference by post. We need the crime reference for our records.
If you need to claim, call us as soon as you can on 0845 640 5630. We should be able to give you useful information and help you to deal with this unpleasant crime. Why not save this number on your mobile phone?
Is there immediate danger of any of your keys being used? Are there any documents with your name and address on them in the stolen bag or vehicle?
Write down a list of what has been stolen.
If your property is insecure, call us, as we can arrange for temporary repairs to be carried out to your home to make it more secure.
We would normally ask you to provide us with proof of ownership (such as original purchase receipts) to support that you owned the stolen items, so to save time you can start looking for these documents now.

Under our Buildings and Contents cover, we provide cover for the cost of replacing locks to the home if the keys have been stolen (including alarms and safes).

Tips to prevent loss by theft

Even though your policy will usually provide cover for thefts, victims often feel violated and upset. We hope to help you prevent this from happening.

Tips to prevent theft from happening

Always keep any keys out of sight – at home or while outside, but never leave a house key in such obvious places as inside a letterbox or under a doormat or plant pot.
Make sure that you always use all security fitted items, such as mortice dead locks and alarms. It may be a condition of your policy that you do (please check your documents), but in any case, this will reduce the chance of you suffering a theft or reduce the amount that is taken.
Install an alarm, keep access codes / pin numbers secret and change them regularly. Display "Beware" signs. If you have a dog or an alarm system, put up signs that say you do as this deters thieves.
Use timers to turn lights on and off when you are away from home for the night. Ask a trusted family member, friend or neighbour to pick up all mail, deliveries and newspapers, and put away bins if you are away longer. Can anyone park in your driveway whilst you are gone?
Never leave your bag unattended in a pub, club or on public transport.
Never leave laptops, mp3 players or mobile phones on show when outside or travelling.
Never leave bicycles unlocked outside shops, even for short periods of time.
Don't keep your address with your house keys – if they are lost or stolen the thief knows where you live. Always get the locks changed immediately if your keys have been lost or stolen, especially if your address was kept with the keys or there was some other way to identify where you live.
Change the locks when you move into a new home, or return to a previously rented property, as the old occupier may have made kept copies.
Don't leave your keys unattended at work – colleagues may know where you live and can make copies of the keys.
Be very careful leaving your house keys with contractors or garage – they know where you live and can make copies of the keys – take any door keys off when dropping your car to your garage.
Get involved in a local neighbourhood watch scheme or if one is not available, see if you can set one up. Alternatively, come to an agreement with your neighbours that you will look out for each other.
Make sure the exterior of your house is well lit. Exterior lights are important, especially near doors or in the rear of the house, where thieves do most of their work. Also make sure that any exterior lighting is fitted higher up, out of easy reach.
Always ask for ID from any workmen or unexpected callers and refuse entry to your house if unsatisfied.
Don't leave items in your garden that could be used to break into your house. Commonly used objects are spades, bricks and other tools.
Use an ultraviolet pen to mark your name, house number and postcode on your property. This will make it easier for the police to identify that any recovered items belong to you.
Don't leave ladders easily accessible – if you do need to keep them in the garden, lock them to an immovable object. The thieves could use it to gain access to your first floor window, where the security may not be as good.
Wheelie bins could be used to climb over gates and fences, so try to keep these secure.
Consider trimming down hedges or trees that might hide any thieves from view from the road.
Take a look round your house to see if you can identify any weak spots, as a thief may see this as the place to gain entry.
Trellis works as a good anti-theft device on fences, as it will break under a thief's weight if they try to climb over it.
If you have a long driveway, gravel can put some thieves off as it makes a noise at night when you walk on it.