Your neighbours can help reduce the cost of your home insurance.

Burglary is a high volume crime and affects around one in twenty five households annually. Burglaries are as likely to occur at weekends as during the week, with three quarters of all burglaries taking place when there is nobody at home. At these times, it pays to have good neighbours.

More and more people are becoming conscious of the need to protect their property from break-ins.

Taking simple measures such as joining a neighbourhood watch scheme or installing a burglar alarm fitted by a NACOSS approved company, will not only provide you with peace of mind, but could also earn you up to 5 per cent discount off your annual household insurance premium.

Homeowners should also take adequate precautions to protect their property whilst they are away on holiday, the following checklist should help ensure properties are left safe and secure:

• Ask a neighbour to remove any bin bags left behind your door handle, whilst you are away.
  
• Ask a family member to check there is no post on view to passers-by, and that your letterbox is emptied regularly, or cancel your post.
  
• Ask a neighbour to close your curtains at night and open them again in the morning – or invest in an automatic curtain-pulling device.
  
• Cancel your milk and your newspapers.
  
• Don’t flag up your holiday to strangers who may be in the newsagents when you cancel your papers.
  
• Don’t talk about your forthcoming holiday whilst in public places.
  
• Don’t leave suitcases in the drive as you pack your car.
  
• Don’t put your home address on your luggage label on your outbound journey.
  
• Invest in security light timers – they can be programmed to make it look like someone is home in the evenings.
  
• Keep a car parked on your drive or outside of your house.
  
• Try to cut the lawn just before you go away, so that the garden doesn’t look unkempt, offering ‘tell-tale’ signs of your absence.
  
• If in student accommodation, ensure that you take all personal items with you, however much of a pain it may seem at the time.