{"id":266310,"date":"2025-11-20T06:57:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T07:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/?p=266310"},"modified":"2025-11-22T13:05:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T13:05:47","slug":"december-home-break-ins-spike-48-protect-your-property-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/builder\/december-home-break-ins-spike-48-protect-your-property-now\/","title":{"rendered":"December home break-ins spike 48%: protect your property now"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post<\/a> was originally published on this site<\/a><\/p>

<\/p>\n

These aren\u2019t isolated incidents – they\u2019re part of an annual pattern. Yet too many homeowners leave for their well-deserved breaks with a mindset of \u2018it will not happen to me\u2019. We believe that being prepared is the difference between celebrating with peace of mind and coming back to loss, stress, and a complex insurance battle.<\/span><\/p>\n

To help homeowners and travellers shield their assets, here is a five-point approach that addresses theft, property damage, and overlooked risks:<\/span><\/p>\n

Document absolutely everything<\/strong><\/p>\n

Imagine returning from a week-long break to find your laptop and jewellery gone. Taking five minutes to photograph and note model numbers, serials, and approximate replacement costs can save weeks of stress and thousands in potential claims. Share these records with your insurer to make any future claims seamless.<\/span><\/p>\n

Confirm your coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Verify that your home contents and building insurance cover both theft and “unoccupied home” situations. Make sure you understand any exclusions, including whether surge or accidental damage (such as from electrical faults) is included – especially if your house will be empty for days at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make your home less attractive to criminals<\/strong><\/p>\n

Motion-activated lights, CCTV cameras, and alarm systems are proven deterrents. Ask a trusted neighbour to monitor your property and collect mail. Avoid posting real-time updates or destination pictures on social media; even seemingly innocent holiday photos can signal an empty home to opportunistic criminals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plan for financial surprises<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep emergency funds readily available. Delay any risky last-minute spending and appoint a trusted person to manage access to your inventory and insurance details should an incident occur while you\u2019re away.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lock down your digital life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Holiday periods see a spike in cybercrime. Use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and log out of accounts you won\u2019t use. Devices left unattended or used on public Wi-Fi are vulnerable – don\u2019t allow hackers to exploit your absence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t return to loss: protect your home now<\/strong><\/p>\n

The spike in property crime and insurance claims during December is predictable but avoidable. <\/span>December crime doesn\u2019t take breaks, and neither should your planning. With housebreaking incidents spiking 48% in December, the risk isn\u2019t hypothetical. Skipping these steps could mean spending January dealing with broken locks, stolen items, and rejected claims. Take action now so that you return from your holiday to a home that\u2019s exactly as you left it: intact, insured, and uncompromised.<\/span><\/p>\n

* Reyneke is the CEO of Multilink Financial Services.<\/em><\/p>\n

PERSONAL FINANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Families heading out for festive getaways often return to find their possessions stolen or their homes damaged – a predictable consequence of December crime surges. The holiday season brings more than celebration; it also brings increased exposure to theft, property damage, and financial loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

Data from 2024, sourced from insurers including Auto & General and the SA Insurance Crime Bureau, indicates that housebreaking incidents increase by up to 48% in December, with the period between Christmas and New Year posing the greatest risk. High-value items such as electronics, jewellery, and power tools are increasingly targeted by criminals during this season. Other valuables such as appliances, firearms, luxury goods, and even \u201cless obvious\u201d items such as cash, bank cards, and alcohol are also considered to be attractive to criminals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Statistics South Africa<\/span>\u2019s latest crime survey reveals that over 1.5 million households (5.7% of all households) experienced housebreaking during the 2024\/25 period. Disturbingly, only around 43% of those break-ins are reported to the authorities – one of the least reported crimes to the police – suggesting that the true scale of December risk may be under-acknowledged.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These aren\u2019t isolated incidents – they\u2019re part of an annual pattern. Yet too many homeowners leave for their well-deserved breaks with a mindset of \u2018it will not happen to me\u2019. We believe that being prepared is the difference between celebrating with peace of mind and coming back to loss, stress, and a complex insurance battle.To help homeowners and travellers shield their assets, here is a five-point approach that addresses theft, property damage, and overlooked risks:Document absolutely everythingImagine returning from a week-long break to find your laptop and jewellery gone. Taking five minutes to photograph and note model numbers, serials, and approximate replacement costs can save weeks of stress and thousands in potential claims. Share these records with your insurer to make any future claims seamless.Confirm your coverageVerify that your home contents and building insurance cover both theft and “unoccupied home” situations. Make sure you understand any exclusions, including whether surge or accidental damage (such as from electrical faults) is included – especially if your house will be empty for days at a time.Make your home less attractive to criminalsMotion-activated lights, CCTV cameras, and alarm systems are proven deterrents. Ask a trusted neighbour to monitor your property and collect mail. Avoid posting real-time updates or destination pictures on social media; even seemingly innocent holiday photos can signal an empty home to opportunistic criminals.Plan for financial surprisesKeep emergency funds readily available. Delay any risky last-minute spending and appoint a trusted person to manage access to your inventory and insurance details should an incident occur while you\u2019re away.Lock down your digital lifeHoliday periods see a spike in cybercrime. Use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and log out of accounts you won\u2019t use. Devices left unattended or used on public Wi-Fi are vulnerable – don\u2019t allow hackers to exploit your absence.Don\u2019t return to loss: protect your home nowThe spike in property crime and insurance claims during December is predictable but avoidable.\u00a0December crime doesn\u2019t take breaks, and neither should your planning. With housebreaking incidents spiking 48% in December, the risk isn\u2019t hypothetical. Skipping these steps could mean spending January dealing with broken locks, stolen items, and rejected claims. Take action now so that you return from your holiday to a home that\u2019s exactly as you left it: intact, insured, and uncompromised.* Reyneke is the CEO of Multilink Financial Services.PERSONAL FINANCEFamilies heading out for festive getaways often return to find their possessions stolen or their homes damaged – a predictable consequence of December crime surges. The holiday season brings more than celebration; it also brings increased exposure to theft, property damage, and financial loss.Data from 2024, sourced from insurers including Auto & General and the SA Insurance Crime Bureau, indicates that housebreaking incidents increase by up to 48% in December, with the period between Christmas and New Year posing the greatest risk. High-value items such as electronics, jewellery, and power tools are increasingly targeted by criminals during this season. Other valuables such as appliances, firearms, luxury goods, and even \u201cless obvious\u201d items such as cash, bank cards, and alcohol are also considered to be attractive to criminals.Statistics South Africa\u2019s latest crime survey reveals that over 1.5 million households (5.7% of all households) experienced housebreaking during the 2024\/25 period. Disturbingly, only around 43% of those break-ins are reported to the authorities – one of the\u00a0least reported\u00a0crimes to the police – suggesting that the true scale of December risk may be under-acknowledged.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-266310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-builder"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266310"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266313,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266310\/revisions\/266313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}