Maintaining Vigilance

It's been 8 months since the burglary. While we're not so hypersensitive anymore to every unfamiliar car driving on our street, we've maintained a steady vigilance in our neighborhood. It's easy to let your guard down when there is no crime or everything seems calm and hunky-dory.

That's just what burglars want. For you to let your guard down.

When people believe, "nothing happens in our neighborhood," they start neglecting to lock doors or don't bother to check if all the windows are closed and secured before they leave the house. They become less attentive to surroundings and potentially suspicious individuals.

Stay vigilant. Hold regular neighborhood watch meetings. Read the local crime blotter. Talk to your neighbors. Get to know them. Be aware of what's happening on your block and in your neighborhood.

Burglars want to get in, take your belongings, and get out. All unnoticed.

Maintaining vigilance and having neighbors who are vigilant can be what stops your home from being burglarized.

Home Insurance Premium Increase Due to Burglary Claim

Our insurance agent just informed us our home insurance premium is going from $570/year to almost $800/year because we filed a claim from the burglary last year. Even though we've installed an alarm system since the event, it only lowers our bill by $48. Then our agent "warns" us that we're unlikely to get approved for a policy elsewhere because we've had a claim in the last three years or other companies will just tack on a big surcharge...just like this company is doing. Are you serious???

So, first, the burglars screw us by breaking into our home.

Now, the insurance company screws us by jacking up our premium 38.5%.

Just effin' lovely. Also, the insurance agent wants to cross-sell us life insurance because then he can offer a 3% discount on the home insurance policy.

Greedy monsters.