Between etolls and inflation, we’re all looking for ways to save a little extra every month. Sometimes that means cutting back on how often you eat out, buying a cheaper shampoo, or waiting for that latest block buster to come out on DVD, instead of seeing it on the big screen….
But sometimes, it can mean upgrading your home a little now to save a lot more in the long-term using smart home upgrade solutions from Brushwork Painters.
Your home contents insurance policy is not something you that you ever want to think of possibly cancelling – just think of how terrible it would be if someone broke in and stole that life-sized statue of yourself that you made out of cold drink cans…. Or, you know, your TV, Play Station, computer…. Or whatever else is important to you.
Rather consider some of the things you can do to reduce how much you are paying for your home contents insurance each month, and increase your home’s safety while you’re at it.
1. Choose a safer suburb
Now, for those of you who are living in your family home of 3 generations, this obviously isn’t an option (unless the whole house is on giant wheels…. Which would be flipping cool). But if you are a renter, or are looking to move home sometime soon, it’s worthwhile comparing the crime stats of various areas to find one that meets your needs in terms of convenience and price, but is also relatively low on crime. The area in which you live, and it’s crime stats are taken into account when calculating your monthly home contents insurance premium.
2. Get an alarm
If you’re pretty cosy where you are, and not looking to move, then having an alarm installed (one that’s also linked to an armed response company), is one of the best ways to improve the security of your home. Sure, there is the cost of the alarm to consider, but you’re doing more than just upgrading your house. Having an alarm will decrease your monthly insurance premium…. And your family will be better protected.
3. Get an electric fence
And make sure that your fence is also linked to an alarm and a security company. This is another upfront expense that will buy you a lot of peace of mind in the long-term, especially if you have, or are planning to have children. Plus, in Summer, you get to watch the mosquitoes get fried against the wires, and that’s always good, clean, family fun. A lot of people don’t like electric fences, because they feel it ruins it turns the look of their home into that of a prison, but you can also have motion-detector beams installed for outside (and inside) you home.
4. Get security gates and burglar bars
Security gates and burglar bars are probably one of the most affordable ways to upgrade the security of your home. Be sure to use an accredited company to install your bars, because the skelms are more determined and resourceful than you might think. Since this is a once-off expense, you might as well make sure it’s done right, so you can sleep easy at night. By increasing the security around your home, you’ll get instant savings on your insurance, and if you ever decide to move, your investment will add to the resale value of your home. That’s what we call a ‘win win’.
5. Don’t reduce the amount you are covered for
It might be tempting to just insure all the goodies inside your house for less, but remember that you might end up underinsured, which would completely suck come claim time. Remember it is always better to be over than under insured. Make use of our hand inventory form to make sure that you have everything covered.
Of course, you are welcome to take any other safety precautions you like when it comes to protecting your home…. You can hire a platoon of paint-ball pros, or even dig a moat around your house (although it didn’t really work back in the middle ages, and I don’t even know where you’d get the permit to do that)….But these are a few things that we can wholeheartedly recommend to better secure your home, while bringing down your home contents insurance premiums a bit.
And remember to let us know at [email protected] if you do make any upgrades to your securtiy so that we can decrease your monthly home contents premium. Don’t have home contents insurance?
Whaaaat?
The few hundred rand a month is a small price to pay for peace of mind cover, click here and get a quote now.
