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Lawn Order: home insurance cover and the rising costs of garden crime
An Englishman’s home, as they say, is his castle. But for all the turrets and ramparts, deadlocks and alarms which fortify properties across the country against burglars, it seems that many castles’ grounds, or gardens, are being left vulnerable to invasion. According to warnings from a number of leading insurers, homeowners are neglecting both to secure and insure their gardens against a number of potentially costly risks.
Secure
At the top of the list of these risks, garden crime, it seems, is on the rise. With the increasing popularity of an outdoor lifestyle, as well as homeowners trying to add that vital edge of desirability to their property in a struggling market, Britain is now spending over £4bn per year on plants, pots, furniture and other garden items. These are proving to be highly tempting to thieves, ranging from drunken opportunists to highly-organised operators ‘stripping’ whole gardens to sell on the black market, according to reports. This market has become increasingly sophisticated, with thieves – whose fingers are seemingly as green as they are light - on the lookout for highly-prized exotic plants such as Japanese Maples and Black Bamboo. And all of this is beginning to hit the pockets of victims and their insurers, with the average claim rising by 27% to £387 over the last five years, according to a survey.
The situation has become so serious that the Home Office and Metropolitan Police have issued their own warnings, along with advice on how to ‘nip garden crime in the bud’. This includes tips on gates and fences, locks and lights, all of which may qualify policy holders for discounts on insurance premiums, as can the installation of alarm systems approved by UK security industry regulatory bodies.
Insure
However, even after moats have been dug and drawbridges raised against thieves, it is still important to
ensure that you do actually
insure. “Most home insurance policy holders don’t realise that the garden and its contents may not be routinely protected by their existing cover in the event of theft, loss or damage, and it’s costing victims as much as £400million per year to replace stolen property” says Janet Connor, Managing Director of RIAS, who offer specially-designed ‘Garden Secure
’ cover for £28 per year with their
house insurance.
Not only does the policy protect against losses to thieves and vandals, but also against those risks that are not so easily predicted or prevented. Flooding, for example, has become an increasingly important concern, as was highlighted by severe property damage nationwide in August 2007. Fire, lightning and falling branches and aerials are also covered, as well as damage by wild animals (recalling those innumerable reports of panther sightings to local news desks up and down the country!), all of which serve to illustrate the benefit of a policy specifically tailored to garden cover.