Having home insurance is excellent. It gives you peace of mind knowing that you can recoup your losses in the event of a tragedy or burglary. However, it’s always crucial to read the fine print of any home insurance policy. Numerous situations can invalidate your insurance claim. Something as simple as forgetting to shut your windows on your way out can be just grounds for your insurance claim to be denied should a burglar use such a window during a home invasion.
Having spare keys is always advantageous if you lose your copy. However, this can result in your household item’s theft should the spare keys fall into the wrong hands. No insurance company will cover such claims due to your negligence.
Although you have Purchased a comprehensive home insurance policy, the scenarios mentioned above can undo all your efforts if you’re not careful. Also there is more you can learn www.millerhanover.com on your home insurance validation.
Can a Key Safe Invalidate Home Insurance?
The safety provided by safes is usually sufficient to keep your valuables secure. In this case, you can have one installed outside your front door; This ensures that you have easy access to your house keys. Because of their location outside the house, these metal boxes can become easy targets for thieves that wish to break into your house. Keeping your key in there can also invalidate your home insurance. Some insurance providers consider this too risky; they do not cover burglary resulting from a break-in if the keys get stolen from the safe.
Other insurance providers require that any safe key be installed robust enough to withstand burglary outside the house. Such providers may provide the specifications for such paramount safes. Ensure to speak with your home insurance provider about this issue. Usually, they’ll recommend a particular kind of safe that they feel is up to their standards.
Of course, even the most robust safe key can be breached given the right circumstances. Ensure that the area where the safe’s key is installed has good lighting; This will likely discourage intruders from trying to break it. Always ensure the safe key is correctly locked before you leave the house. If, for example, you forget to lock the safe’s key and a burglar uses the key to get into the house, your home insurance provider may invalidate your policy.
You may give your safe’s key code to your neighbors for emergencies. However, this can lead to the invalidation of your home insurance. The reasoning is that the more people know about your security measures, the more likely it is that one of them will take advantage of this knowledge.
Loss of House Keys
Generally, if someone uses a lost key to gain entry into your house, your home insurance provider will likely not cover it. While having several spare keys is a good thing, this creates a situation where it’s easy to break into your house. Numerous spare keys mean that the likelihood of any one of them getting lost is high.
Some home insurance policy providers stipulate that there must be signs of forced entry for them to validate your claim. If you lose your house key and report the matter to the authorities or your insurance provider, this can help your claim. If an individual finds your lost key and uses it to enter your house before the locks have been changed, your claim will most likely be valid.
Some situations may be less clear. Say your ex-partner still has your spare house key, which you forgot to ask for. If such an ex-partner uses this key to enter your house, you may have difficulty supporting a claim of illegal entry. Most home insurance providers would view this as a ploy designed to extract the insurance money. They will most likely invalidate your claim.
What if My Children Leave the Door Unlocked?
You must ensure that your children understand the level of responsibility expected of them if you choose to entrust them with house keys. Some home insurance providers require such information upfront. Otherwise, you risk having your claim invalidated if a burglary occurs due to your children’s negligence.
Unoccupied Houses
The term ‘unoccupied house’ is part of a clause in home insurance policies when no one lives in such a house; This usually refers to the policyholder, a family member, or acquaintance. Most home insurance providers have a 30-day limit, meaning the house cannot remain unoccupied for longer than 30 days without invalidating your claim. Of course, exceptions can be made. If you live alone and have to leave town for a month or two, it’s always prudent to inform your home insurance provider about this. Such information will help later on in the event of burglary while you’re away.
Ultimately, you want to be careful about doing (or not doing) things that can compromise your home insurance claim.
