Naturally, an unoccupied property is going to be of higher risk than that which is occupied – hence the increase in premium when insuring a building such as this. There is the obvious increase in the likelihood of theft but not only this, the lack of heating the property and usage of water can also cause problems.

Recently, there has been an increase in the value of copper which has made this a new desire for thieves to obtain. Metal is an extremely valuable commodity and copper has hit an all-time high in recent years and is seen to be staying there. Thieves are breaking into properties and stealing piping which is made from the copper. It is not only this that is causing problems for the property owners, but the damage they cause whilst committing the crime. Breaking in to the property is likely to leave damage and repairs needing to be made, but on top of this there are the consequences of removing pipes to attend with – it could leave costly water damage and flooding in the property.

There are a number of ways to increase the security of your property to aid in the prevention of it becoming a target. A few examples of measures that can be taken would be; fully operating burglar alarms installed in the property, all windows and doors fitted with locks and to give the appearance as best you can that the property is occupied e.g. avoiding windows from being boarded up. In higher crime rate areas it would be advantageous to have CCTV installed – even if it is not functioning, potential thieves do not know that. All of these methods will aid in the prevention of keeping your property from being a target to offenders. 

If you have any further questions or queries, do not hesitate to contact us on 0800 970 7172 where we will be happy to help.

Jade