5 Tips to Protect Your Home During Winter

Should you ever be burgled, you’ll definitely be grateful that you took out decent home insurance. However, avoiding the need to claim is an altogether better scenario. Burglaries tend to increase in the winter months and while Home Alone-style shenanigans may spring to mind, there are some simpler ways of protecting your home this season. Even some small tweaks to your everyday behaviour and habits could have a big impact on how appealing your house is to the bad guys. Here are five tips for protecting your home this winter.

1. Be the Burglar

No, we’re not suggesting you start breaking any laws here. Instead, scope out your home through the eyes of a thief and see how appealing your dwelling is and why. Are the car keys within tantalising distance of a small window or is the glow of your flatscreen illuminating the street? Perhaps there’s an out-of-the-way window that could be pushed open easily or a door that’s left open at certain times during the day. Identify the weak spots and take steps to diminish them.

2. Watch What You’re Posting

Sure, we all know by now that checking in at the airport is a pretty good way of letting the world know you’re not home, but there are less obvious social media actions that also signal you’re not around. Some events allow you to state whether you’re going, often automatically posting to your page that you’re planning to attend. Telling someone you’re looking forward to seeing them this evening can let a large online audience know where you will - and won’t - be. Be social savvy and keep details of your whereabouts to more discreet channels.

3. Let There Be Light

Motion sensor lighting has a dual purpose when it comes to the household’s safety. Not only does it offer some much-needed visibility to otherwise darkened drives and doorsteps, it’s also a major deterrent to nearby ne'er-do-wells who would rather not be illuminated. Think about popping a few up beside doorways as well as any dark corners that unwelcome visitors could otherwise lurk in or retreat to.

4. Get Garden Proud

Keeping your garden free of clutter won’t just keep the neighbours sweet, it will make the contents of your house harder to guess. A yard filled with basketballs, trikes, and sandpits signals quite clearly that there are some kiddies inside - and where there are children, there are tablets and consoles. In fact, it’s worth making sure that anything you leave outside isn’t worth pilfering in its own right. It may be tricky dragging the bikes and bouncers into the shed every night, but do you really want to offer them up to any opportunistic thieves?

5. Use Timer Plugs

A few well-placed timer plugs can make a big difference to a house that’s regularly unoccupied - or about to be due to holidays. Setting a lamp to come on at certain times of the day could make anyone watching unsure as to whether the house truly is empty, but you should think beyond lights too. A radio tuned to a talk station can give the impression that there are people chatting somewhere and a TV that comes on and off will leave enough doubt in the mind of some watchers that they’d do well to move along. And yes, this one might be more inspired by Home Alone than we’d like to admit.

Want to Feel Even More Secure This Winter?

Feel safe and sound by protecting your property with AIB’s extensive range of Home Insurance options. Visit the site to get a quote today.

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is an agent of AIB Insurance Services Limited in relation to provision of general insurance products. AIB Travel Insurance is exclusively underwritten byChubb European Group Limited. AIB Insurance Services Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Copyright Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. 1995