Moving house? Read on for our quick guide to keeping your property safe whilst moving house.
According to a report from the Office of National Statistics there were 785,000 incidents of domestic burglary in England and Wales in 2015. This highlights the importance of keeping your valuables safe, secure and protected.
The task of protecting your home is only made more difficult when you’re just about to leave or have just moved in. In fact, those who move house are twice as likely to be burgled in less than a year of living there.
Sometimes the ramifications are more immediate. Many people are unfortunate enough to be burgled during a house move. When thieves spot the ‘sold’ sign outside your house, they often see it as the perfect opportunity. Although we all can be victims of burglary, there are steps you can take to make sure your property remains as secure as humanly possible.
Hire a reputable removals company
AnyVan, the transport company and experts in arranging house removals, state that “tracking down a reputable man and van hire company can be extremely difficult, particularly when you want to guarantee the safety and efficiency of your delivery.”
It may be tempting to go for the cheaper option and going with a cheap man with a van. However, this could turn out far more expensive if you lose items you aren’t insured for.
Your removal company will be responsible for transporting your most important worldly possessions to your new home, so you will want to make sure you are hiring a trusted firm. In order to do this, make sure you do your research, get quotes and make sure the removals company your are hiring are qualified to do the job.
Keep the most precious items on your person
If you are hire a professional, reliable business, the risks are greatly reduced and you will be insured for any loses. But some items, such as family heirlooms and photographs, may not be valuable, but they are invaluable. For personal and sentimental items you might prefer to keep these on your person during the move.
It’s also worth investing in high-quality packing materials to keep your belongings secure and safe. Alternatively, hand your most loved possessions over to family members you can trust completely.
Make sure you have insurance
Another reason to use a reputable removals company is that it makes getting insurance a lot easier. According to Go Compare, 81% of insurance providers covered possessions during removal as standard – but this was dependent on using a professional to transport them.
Making sure your possessions are insured during the move may not be something you’ve considered, but checking your home insurance policy will give you peace of mind in the middle of a hectic period of time.
Change the locks after you move in
Security companies recommend that locks should be changed as soon as possible. After all, most new homeowners have no idea how many tradesmen or tenants may have copies of a working key.
As an additional facet to your home security over that precarious first year in the property, you could also consider using a keyholding company. In this sense, keyholding can refer to the act of a security professional keeping a spare key to a residential or commercial premise for use in case the primary key is lost or stolen, or the property is at risk.
