• Malcolm Tarling of the Association of British Insurers said:

    'What is important is that people understand their responsibilities as a policyholder.'

     
    We get a lot of phone calls Regarding home Insurance requirement my best advice is to read your policy it will tell you what security you need, if these requirements are not met your insurance may be 'null and void' which mean they do not have to pay out if you make a claim.
    An article from the London Evening Standard
     

    Cilla Black £1m Insurance Blow

     
    CILLA BLACK'S £1m insurance claim for jewellery stolen in a violent raid on her home has been turned down, it was revealed today. Her insurers have refused to pay because there were no locks on the downstairs windows, making her policy 'null and void'.
     
    Three masked burglars entered the £2m house in Denham, Buckinghamshire, through a window. They beat Ms Black's youngest son Jack, 22, with a crowbar, held a knife to his throat and threatened to kill him, forcing him to reveal where the safe was.
     
    The men took Ms Black's entire jewellery collection, including a diamond pendant worth tens of thousands of pounds and sentimental gifts from her husband Bobby, who died of cancer in 1999. Her mother's engagement and wedding rings were also lost.
     
    A source told The Sun: 'Cilla has been told she won't receive a penny. She did have household insurance but the claim has been rejected. 'The problem is locks were not fitted to her downstairs windows as Cilla had stipulated.'
     
    A source from the insurance industry said the policy would state that downstairs windows must have locks - and be locked at all times. 'It will also state there must be an alarm system, which must be on at all times, when the premises are left vacant.
     
    'There is no room for leniency or manoeuvre on these types of policies where the contents run intoms of pounds.' Security is tight at the house, with wrought-iron gates, and 7ft-high fences behind thick hedges. There are also motion-sensitive lights and closed-circuit television cameras.
     
    Ms Black, 60, has taken a year off from TV presenting to recover from the shock of the burglary on 16 August. She had been on holiday in Spain and was called by Jack to tell her they had been robbed. During the raid the men said they would kidnap Jack and hold him to ransom but he talked them out of the plan.
     
    They escaped after chaining him to a radiator. Ms Black said at the time: 'Obviously the jewellery does not compare with what Jack has had to endure. Losing my entire collection of all the gifts Bobby gave me and my mam's wedding and engagement rings is heartbreaking. Their sentimental value far outweighs their material worth.
     
    'Now I've lost everything I will not be replacing them. You can't replace sentimental value.' The Denham home has a putting green, tennis court and indoor swimming pool. Ms Black also owns a £1.5m Thames-side penthouse in London and a £400,000 apartment in Barbados.
     
    Securing Your Home
     
    INSURERS normally require home owners to: -
     
    • Fit five-lever mortice deadlocks to front and back doors
    • Have locks fitted on every ground floor window
    • Install burglar alarms and ensure they are serviced regularly
    • If alarms are fitted or if the policyholder installs locks above a certain standard required, some insurance companies will offer policyholders discounts ranging from between five and 10%.
    • CCTV may be a requirement. Malcolm Tarling of the Association of British Insurers said: 'What is important is that people understand their responsibilities as a policyholder.'
     
    Every insurance policy we have dealt with insists on the following: -
     
      British standard Dead lock on every final exit door.
      Exception to this are PVC doors which must have 3 locking points.
      Key operated window locks on all down stairs windows, windows upstairs with a roof under the window.
     

    We offer free advice please contact us if you are unsure

    0800 158 8247