- New Confused.com ‘Home Alone’ style film targets seasonal theft -
January: Home insurance claims 2.4%* above annual monthly average following Christmas thefts
June and November: Peak months for home insurance claims, both 7.3%* above average
June and October: Peak months for car insurance claims, showing 4.2%** (Jun) and 3.7%** (Oct) above average
Home insurance claims for theft peak in June, November and January according to new stats released by Confused.com. Analysis of four years’ worth of claims data is compiled below, revealing the average number of home insurance claims reaches a peak in June when it’s 7.3% higher than the annual monthly average and dips to a low of in September when claims are 5.9% lower than average.
The data also reveals a peak in motor insurance claims in June when figures rose to 4.2% higher than the annual monthly average and the biggest dip appears in May when claims were at a low of 5.9% less than average. Car insurance claims for theft also peak in June and they too have a slight rise in January, which should remind us to keep presents hidden while on Christmas shopping trips as well as in our homes.
In response to these trends, Confused.com has combined tips from its home insurance experts and a love for classic Christmas films such as Home Alone, to produce a film with top tips if you’re leaving your home alone this Christmas to help people in the UK equip themselves against theft.
Confused.com’s quick Christmas insurance tips:
- Make sure that the value of your Christmas gift purchases doesn’t push your home’s total contents value above the value you have insured it for. Some contents policies automatically increase the contents insured over the Christmas period, so people should check their policy documents.
- Don't leave wrapped presents in full view under the tree. Keep them out of sight. Removing temptation can reduce the risk of theft.
- Make sure all doors and windows are locked and are fitted with key-operated locks.
- Ask a neighbour to watch over your house if you are away over Christmas. Get them to collect your mail, keep your driveway cleared of snow and remove any other clues of your absence.
- If you are away then try to make it look like someone's home by setting the lights, and even the TV, on a timer.
Gareth Kloet, head of home and car insurance at Confused.com said:
“In addition to following the tips in the film we’d also encourage homeowners to consider upgrading their security as both a way of safeguarding their possessions and as a method for reducing home insurance costs. For example, installing a properly fitted alarm and locks could bring lower home insurance premiums than if they were not fitted, so security could help save you money and protect your possessions.
“The same points apply to safeguarding your car at Christmas and all year round: adding security measures could help reduce premiums as the car is both less likely to be stolen and can help in its recovery, for example installing a tracker could deter theft and also potentially reduce premiums.”
To identify the theft blackspots in our calendars, Confused.com experts analysed data from 2.8 million people looking for home insurance quotes and 19.5 million people seeking motor insurance, dating from November 2008 up to October 2012, inclusive.
Home insurance claims data*
The following figues show the number of home theft claims bewteen November 2008 and October 2012 (the average across all months is 4,336) and the claims for that month versus the average (shown as a percentage):
January: 4,438, 2.4%
February: 4,316, -0.5%
March: 4,241, -2.2%
April: 4,123, -4.9%
May: 4,226, -2.5%
June: 4,654, 7.3%
July: 4,193, -3.3%
August: 4,404, 1.6%
September: 4,081, -5.9%
October: 4,378, 1.0%
November: 4,652, 7.3%
December: 4,323, -0.3%
Car insurance claims data
The following figues show the number of motor contents theft claims bewteen November 2008 and October 2012 (the average across all months is 4,862) and the claims for that month versus the average (shown as a percentage):
January: 4,882, 0.4%
February: 4,961, 2.0%
March: 4,852, -0.2%
April: 4,585, -5.7%
May: 4,573, -5.9%
June: 5,065, 4.2%
July: 4,805, -1.2%
August: 5,053, 3.9%
September: 4,919, 1.2%
October: 5,042, 3.7%
November: 4,950, 1.8%
December: 4,660, -4.2%
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
*Data is for November 2008 to October 2012 (inclusive)
2.8 million home insurance quotes (last quote per customer during the period)
Dates are date of CLAIM not date of INCIDENT
Claims are "Theft from home (including outbuildings)" and "Theft from outside home"
So in January, claims are historically 2.4% higher than the average we would expect if all months were equal
** Data is for November 2008 to October 2012 (inclusive)
19.5 million car insurance quotes (last quote per customer during the period)
Dates are date of CLAIM not date of INCIDENT
Claims are:
Theft Claim – Motor Contents (From outside home)
Theft Claim – Motor Contents (Away from home)
So in January, claims are historically 0.4% higher than the average we would expect if all months were equal
About Confused.com:
Confused.com was the UK's first price comparison site for car insurance. Confused.com is one of the UK’s biggest and most popular price comparison services. Launched in 2002, it generates over one million quotes per month. It has expanded its range of comparison products over the last couple of years to include home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, van insurance, motorbike insurance, breakdown cover and energy, as well as financial services products including credit cards, loans, mortgages and life insurance.
Confused.com is not a supplier, insurance company or broker. It provides an objective and unbiased comparison service. By using cutting-edge technology, it has developed a series of intelligent web-based solutions that evaluate a number of risk factors to help customers with their decision-making, subsequently finding them great deals on a wide-range of insurance products, financial services, utilities and more. Confused.com’s service is based on the most up-to-date information provided by UK suppliers and industry regulators.
Confused.com is owned by the Admiral Group plc. Admiral listed on the London Stock Exchange in September 2004. Confused.com is regulated by the FSA.
