Despite a drop in the number of household burglaries, the value of items stolen is increasing. In percentage of burglaries where the value of stolen articles exceeds £1,000 has risen from 25% in 2004 to 33% in 2005.

It’s because thieves are increasingly targeting wealthier areas and many householders own a range of small highly valuable electronic items that can be easily resold. Items such as laptop computers, games consoles, digital cameras, mobiles and iPods are high up on the thieves shopping list. So taking these items alongside the more traditional haul of jewellery, cash, TV’s and DVD recorders quickly moves the value stolen well above the £1,000 mark.

In addition, police and the insurers are worried about the link between household burglaries and identity theft. There has been a 300% surge in the number of burglaries in which credit cards are stolen. It all adds up to over £1 billion of property stolen each year.

So a good tip for 2006 – make sure the value of cover on your Contents Insurance is fully up to date. Write down each and every item of value and estimate what it would cost you to replace everything, new, at today’s prices. Walk from room to room, even garage and the shed (and remember the loft/roof area) and take notes.

And don’t forget your food, clothes and soft furnishings. A thief may not be too bothered with them but if you house caught fire, or you have a flood, everything is at risk and these items alone could easily add up to £3,000.

Wherever possible remember to keep receipts for the more expensive items as this will aid identification and very much speed the insurance claim process. And where it’s difficult to establish the correct value of an item, for example with antiques, get an expert valuation. It’s a bit of a hassle and there’ll be a valuation fee to pay, but you need to be as accurate as possible especially with valuable items that you’ll need to list separately on your policy.

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