Protect Your Home During Thanksgiving Travel

More than half a million South Carolinians will travel during the Thanksgiving holidays leaving their homes unoccupied for burglars. There are simple steps homeowners can take to protect homes from burglary during the holidays according to the South Carolina Insurance News Service.

Last year in South Carolina there were more than 45,000 burglaries according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). One quarter of all home burglaries occur during the winter months and most people spend an average of three nights out of town during the holidays the FBI reports. Most home burglaries occur when homes are left empty and most happen during the daylight hours.

Nationwide, theft claims totaled $1.17 billion in 2006 and the average insurance claim for theft is $2,292 according to the Insurance Information Institute. Most insurance companies give discounts of 2 to 15 percent for devices that make a home safer - deadbolt locks, window grates, bars and smoke/fire/burglar alarms.

"Don’t let burglars ruin your holidays and leave your home at risk. Nine out of ten household burglaries are preventable. Light, time and noise make the difference," says Allison Dean Love, executive director of the South Carolina Insurance News Service. "Homeowners can prevent crooks from targeting their homes during the holiday season by taking some simple precautions."

Theft of personal possessions and damage to the home caused by a break-in is covered under a standard homeowners' insurance policy. If you own valuable jewelry or other expensive items, be sure to ask your insurance agent or company whether you should consider purchasing a floater or endorsement to ensure adequate coverage for these items. Actual cash value coverage will pay what the stolen item is worth today. With replacement cost coverage, which is only about 10 percent more than actual cash value, damaged property is replaced without deducting for depreciation.

In addition to having the right insurance coverage, the South Carolina Insurance News Service offers the following preventive measures to keep your home safe from burglars during the holidays:

Keep your home well lit. Mount exterior lights out of reach in your yard or on your house. Put indoor lights on a timer.

Make it time-consuming to break into your home. Keep doors and windows securely locked. Install deadbolt locks on al exterior doors.

Make it noisy to break into your home. Invest in a burglar alarm – more than 90 percent of burglars say they would avoid a home with an alarm.

Make sure you have strong doors. The best lock will not deter a burglar if it is installed in a weak door.

Keep shrubbery trimmed. Shrubbery should be kept below the window level so thieves cannot hide.

Keep important documents well hidden or under lock and key. Do not leave important personal documents in your desk at home. Put critical documents in a personal safe somewhere else in the house. Keep copies of important documents at another location, a relative's home for example, for quick access in case you need to report identity theft. With identity theft on the rise, make personal information on your home computer hard to access, and avoid keeping personal papers in your desk or home office.

Make sure valuables are not in easy view from outside your home. Don't leave any gifts under the tree visible through a window. Don’t keep expensive jewelry in obvious locations, such as in a jewelry box in your bedroom where thieves know to look.

Turn off your computer and disconnect if from the Internet. If you save personal information in your computer, make sure it is difficult to access. You don't want a hacker at work while you are on vacation.

If you plan on traveling out of town during the holidays, follow these additional steps:

Have mail and packages picked up, forwarded or held by the post office. Stop newspaper deliveries or ask a neighbor to pick up newspapers and mail.

Leave blinds or curtains open in their usual position. Make it appear that you are home.

Ask a friend or neighbor you trust to keep an eye on your home while you are away. Don't tell people you don't know about your travel plans.

Don't broadcast your absence in a voice mail or e-mail greeting.

Don't put your home address on luggage to prevent others seeing your home address while traveling. Use your business or other address.