Home insurance - leaving windows open while house is unoccupied

forgotmyname

So commit fraud? Window smashed from the inside. or neighbour tells the insurance investigator that he saw you climb up and smash the window?

NewFolder

My policy documents don't seem to say anything about forced entry or making sure windows are closed or locked anywhere, and AFAIK, I haven't specified that the windows have locks on them either.

Would this mean that I'm OK in such a situation, or will an insurer try to get out of paying, even though they don't specify this as a condition of the cover?

_Andy_

Have you asked the insurer?

*Scarlett

Clearly it's a good idea to close your windows if you are leaving the home unoccupied but anyone can forget.

It could affect your insurance cover but as stated before it depends on the policy.

If you have told the insurer that you have lockable windows and approved door locks they may have applied a security discount and you would be required to use these at night and when the home is unoccupied for theft / attempted theft claims to be valid. This will usually appear as an endorsement on your policy.

The discount that you get for approved locks will vary from nil to £100s depending on your postcode & circumstances.

Eg if you're in a low risk area with not a huge amount of valuables most insurers don't require additional security.

If you live in a higher risk postcode area, have a lot of expensive high risk items or have had a burgulary in the past few years you may be required to have the required security.

If you can't find anything on your policy schedule, ring the insurer to clarify.