The strangest of building insurance claims
It seems that burglars are getting more creative when trying to access homes. Recently, one burglar climbed onto the roof of a house in Mansfield, removed some loose tiles and slipped through the hole to see what he could find!
Graham Calladine, who owns Spettro (Chesterfield & Mansfield), a UK-wide building insurance claims management company, was asked to repair the damage to the roof and, after getting over the shock of seeing such an odd break-in, suggests a few ways of keeping your home secure.
1) Keeping your house in good repair is a great start. If an opportunist burglar can see an easy way to enter your home through a rotten window frame then all the better!
2) Don’t forget to close your upstairs windows as well as the downstairs ones – there are several reasons for the name ‘cat burglar’!
3) Always use good quality locks on doors and windows - they are often the first line of defence and are mandatory with some insurance companies.
4) If you are going away on holiday then ask a neighbour to pop in and pick up your post from the mat – post piling up is a clear giveaway that your house is vacant.
5) Park your car close up to your garage door – garage burglaries are extremely common as people store so many valuables in there as space is at a premium in the house.
6) Get your house alarm serviced regularly. Many people have alarms but don’t use them because they are worried about them going off and annoying the neighbours – if you look after your alarm it will look after you!
Another strange incident occurred in Brighton this summer as Spettro got a call from a female homeowner on Western Row in Worthing who needed a quote for replacing some roof tiles. It emerged that due to police stand-off her roof had been vandalised by two criminals who were being pursued by the local Police Force. These criminals were evading apprehension by the Police by remaining on her roof and using her roof tiles as missiles, hurling them down at the Police Officers on the scene. The homeowner is a qualified Psychoanalyst and dealt with the drama with good humour, “It all happens in ‘downtown Worthing’ but all is now quiet on the ‘Western Row Front’!”
Remember, if your home or business does get damaged by an unwanted visitor then you can leave it to Spettro to get the repairs done by their trusted tradesmen. Spettro Limited is a building insurance claims management company regulated by the Financial Services Authority which allows them to mediate with all the major insurance companies, a service which is free of charge to the insured!
Spettro deals with claims for flood, fire, storm, impact damage and burglaries. They also are involved in rental property refurbishments and detecting the origin of water leaks. Visit www.spettro.net for more information or keep the freephone number handy 0800 389 2251.