Preventing break-ins

Having your home violated is a very traumatic experience.

Break-ins cost Canadian insurance companies millions of dollars each year in claim payments. This cost is shared by policyholders through increased premiums.

Making a claim because of a break-in could increase your insurance premiums. By taking precautions to make your home more secure, you can save yourself inconvenience and money.

For instance, by installing a 24-hour monitored alarm system in your home, you reduce the chances of being a victim of crime. It also reduces your premiums as we provide an insurance premium discount to homeowners with a monitored alarm system.

Crime statistics

A residential break-in happens every 90 seconds in Canada.
More than 80% of break-ins occur during daylight hours.
Most illegal entries are made by amateur burglars without the use of sophisticated tools.
Most burglars enter through a basement or ground-floor door or window.
Most burglars rely in concealment, speed and force to gain entry to a home.

Crime prevention tips

To best protect your home, look at it from a burglar’s perspective. What are the vulnerable parts? Burglary is always a crime of opportunity. Reduce your odds of being affected by crime by taking some preventative steps.

Crime proofing inside your home

The goal of indoor crime proofing is to secure your premises and make them appear occupied at all times. Here are a few simple tips to deter burglars from entering your home:

Secure your premises:

Close blinds and curtains at night so that a burglar can't scope your belongings.
Lock all doors and windows before leaving your house.
Lock windows so that they can't be opened from the outside. If they can't be locked, you can pin them by drilling a hole through both window frames and inserting a bolt or metal pin. The pin must be easily removable for emergency situations.

Make your home look occupied at all times:

Use timers to maintain normal lighting patterns.
Leave a radio on when you are away from your home for short periods of time.

Protect your valuables.

Consider marking or engraving your valuables with a unique identifier known only to you.
Take an inventory of your home on a videotape and/or in photographs.
Keep jewelry and negotiables in a safety deposit box or an unlikely place (e.g., not your bedroom).

Crime proofing outside your home

24-hour monitored alarm systems

There is no perfect deterrent to protect your home against a burglar. However, statistics show the chance of having your home broken into is significantly reduced if you have a 24-hour monitored alarm system.

Statistics also show that the amount of property stolen from homes equipped with a 24-hour monitored alarm system is less than that from homes without a monitored alarm system. Burglars just don’t have as much time to act when an alarm is activated.

A 24-hour monitored alarm system provides peace of mind and security for your entire family against the possibility of home intrusion, whether you’re home or not.

Alarm systems can also monitor smoke, fire, temperature change, carbon monoxide and water escape. Alarms get help there sooner, minimizing damage and danger.

Secure your premises

There are many things that you can do to the exterior of your house or in the yard to deter burglars and make it more difficult to force entry.

Keep your shrubbery cut back so that it doesn't block windows and doors.
Illuminate as much of your property as possible.
Exterior doors should be solid, not hollow. Metal doors provide the best protection against forced entry.
Use a fencing style that would not conceal a burglar's activities. Remember, if you can't see out, others can't see in.
Secure any glass that is less than 40 inches from a door lock. Either coat exterior glass with an acrylic or polycarbonate to strengthen, or replace with laminated or tempered glass.
Door hinges that are on the outside should have a non-removable centre pin that can't be tampered with.
Install deadbolt locks.
Place hinged security bars over basement windows. Remember to keep the key nearby for emergency exits.
Pin sliding patio doors together when closed. Another easy security step is to drill a hole in the upper track and insert a screw that extends out into the runner to prevent the door from being lifted up and out of its track.
Ensure that a burglar cannot access the roof from high trees or a ladder left outside.

What not to do:

Don't put up a nameplate outside of your house with your full name. A burglar can use this information to look up your number in the phone book and call to see if you are home.
Don't leave a note on the door or in the mailbox telling a friend or family member that you aren't home.
Don't leave spare keys in an obvious place such as the mailbox or under the front door mat.
Don't leave cash and handbags in view in your home.
Don't leave any doors unlocked when you are at the other end of the house or in the yard.

While you are on vacation

If you are going on vacation, it's especially important to make your home appear inhabited. Enlist the help of trusted neighbours, family and friends. Here are some things you can do to keep your home safer:

Stop all mail delivery.
Arrange for a neighbour to cut the grass or shovel snow.
Cancel all deliveries during the time you will be away.
Maintain normal lighting patterns by using electronic timers.
Ask a neighbour to put one of their garbage bags in front of your house on collection day.
Leave a radio on, with a timer if necessary to simulate normal use.
Ask a neighbour to park in your driveway.
Arrange for neighbours to pick up flyers.
Don't talk about your vacation plans with strangers or service people.
Use your work address on your luggage tags so a potential burglar won't know where your empty house is.
Lock the garage door.

What to do if your home is burglarized

Don’t stay - always think of your safety first.
Never confront a burglar or block the exit route.
Immediately go to a neighbour's home or nearby location and phone the police.
Upon the occurrence of a break-in to your home, and after the incident has been reported to the police, you should contact your insurance broker to arrange a time to meet with an adjuster.