#StayHome and take care of your home and vehicle security
During the pandemic people are being urged to stay home and self-isolate in order to protect the health and safety of themselves and others. With home having become an office, school and playground for many, it is worth giving some thought to home and vehicle security.
Protect your personal belongings by creating various zones and make sure your property is insured
If you spend most of the day at home, it is definitely worth thinking about setting up various zones in your home to help you focus on specific activities. For example, you can set up a work area, a study area for the children and a relaxation corner for yourself and your family. These areas do not necessarily have to be separate rooms, they simply have to have a specific purpose. This will let you better focus on the task at hand, whilst also protecting, say, your work computer from accidentally spilled tea or the television set from children’s games.
According to Swedbank insurance data, we ourselves are often the ones to blame for various damages to our home and personal belongings. Last year 15% of insurance claims were filed for accidental damages to household appliances, such as a cracked ceramic hob or a television damaged due to a fall. The average insurance benefit paid was EUR 330, with the highest reaching EUR 3039. Right now, with people spending much more of their time at home, such cases are no rarity. Therefore, if you have already insured your home, it is worth checking whether you have also insured your belongings and if so – whether the sum insured is suited to your current needs.
If your permanent residence is left empty, ask a neighbour for help and think about home insurance
Since the declaration of the national state of emergency, many people have left their permanent residences for family property on the countryside or smaller towns. In such a case it is very important to have someone check in on your property from time to time to make sure everything is in order. Perhaps a neighbour can help by keeping an eye on what is going on at your home, including any vehicles you may have left outside.
Home insurance will protect you and your family from various possible financial damages – not only in case of burglary, which is actually relatively rare, but also such troubles as flooding of your own or a neighbour’s apartment. Last year 37% of home insurance claims filed were related to broken pipes causing water leaks in apartments accounting for an average of EUR 855 in damages to the homeowner. Furthermore, this is something even a vigilant neighbour cannot protect you from. Therefore, it is important to have your home and personal belongings insured, so that you do not have to spend your rainy-day savings on problems that can be covered by insurance.
If your car is parked outside for the long-term, insure it with CASCO
Right now, your car may be left alone in the yard or on the side of the street, but that does not mean it is safe. A car can fall victim to thieves or gusty winds that are no longer a rarity in Latvia. Thus, for example, last year the highest compensation for damages caused by a tree falling on a car was EUR 4700. Densely parked cars in courtyards are also often damaged by careless cyclists or other drivers. For example, last year one car owner whose vehicle had been damaged by a passing car, incurred a loss of EUR 1900 from the incident. We must also not forget that prowlers are not sitting idle at this time, especially in regard to stealing vehicle parts. Therefore, at this time it would be advisable that in re-examining your spending, rather than cutting insurance as a financial shield, make sure that it is there, so that in this time of uncertainty any additional troubles create as little added worry as possible.
If you cherish your home, you have something to insure!
Get home insurance & feel confident and at ease about:
- Your flat or house and its facilities;
- Your personal belongings at home or when taken with you anywhere in Latvia;
- Unintentional damage to your neighbours, guests or other people.
