Basic locksmith work Insurance cover

Some people are unaware that most home contents or building insurance policies provide locksmith work insurance cover to be carried out following an incident or accident.

There are also people who are under the impression that their home contents insurance will cover for wear and tear as they have read the policy wording incorrectly. If anything fails because it has simply gotten old or unreliable then you will usually not be covered.

Most people are unaware that their new home is sometimes not covered under their home insurance if they get a break in and their is no visible sign of forced entry.

Locksmiths and manufacturers recommend that locks are replaced every 7 years. (1. Source) We also suggest that locks are changed immediately after a change of ownership. How many of us have locks on our doors and windows that are more than 25+ years old?

“You are unlikely to be able to claim for wear and tear on either your buildings or contents insurance.

Wear and tear is generally caused by poor upkeep or natural damage. Everything will suffer from wear and tear at some point, so it’s expected. Home insurance is designed to protect from the unexpected.

For example, a carpet with many stains, scuffs and fade marks from general living would come under wear and tear. A carpet damaged from flooding would be covered under your home insurance.” (2. Source)

Locksmith work Insurance cover – Work following a break in

In the majority of policies you will be covered for all costs to make your property secure. Locksmith work Insurance cover -This can include emergency boarding up or replacement of doors and all hardware including lock replacement. Please call your insurance company immediately following the incident to discuss how much actual cover your own policy provides as this may vary depending on the type of insurance you purchased.

Following a break in you will need to bear in mind you will need to pay the excess charge in most cases, unless you have a no excess policy. Not that this will be a major concern at the time, as getting your property secure is a necessity.

If there was only one door or lock that has been broken into, it may be better for you to pay the charges rather than the excess of the insurance and lose your no claims bonus. This will be a personal choice based on how much damage is caused and the repair cost.

Locksmith work Insurance cover – We do not recommend that you simply replace the old locks with the same level of security as you had previously. They are more than likely out of date and as the burglary as proven ineffective for your purposes.

If you are unlucky enough and your property has been burgled there is a high chance that your property will be targeted for burglary again (2. Source). Burglars will see your property as an easy target and they do not mind passing this information on to fellow burglars and others of low moral fibre. *

Locksmith work Insurance cover – Stolen and lost keys

Many people are covered for replacement locks and locksmith labour costs following a loss of keys.

If you have lost your keys or had them stolen along with a form of ID it is an emergency situation and the locks should be replaced as soon as possible.

If there was no form of ID attached to the keys then the urgency is possibly less but it is still recommended that they are replaced as soon as possible.

Locksmith work Insurance cover – Please check your policy, from experience we find that the majority of policies cover you for loss of keys up to a value of around £1250. Once again if you are not sure contact your insurance company.

If this happens to you, let the police know, you will then obtain a police incident number. This will help out with your locksmith insurance claim.

Locksmith work Insurance cover – Emergency locksmith workLocksmith work Insurance cover

Not as commonly known to people, but locksmith work costs are sometimes covered following an emergency. For example, you are on holiday and your neighbour calls you because your water pipe has burst and no one can enter the building because you have the keys in your bag next to the sun bed. Insurance companies pay out £2 million a day (3. Source) because of water damage. It is in the insurance companies interest to minimise the costs of the damage. Locksmith work Insurance cover – Check your policies to see if this cover applies to your own insurance, either contents or building.

In most instances following the above incidents you will have to pay the locksmith to carry out the required work then forward the invoice or receipt to the insurance company. If any locksmith does not want to give you proof of work prior to starting the job, hire another.

We do not accept any responsibility if any assumptions are made by you on behalf of your insurance company. We urge you to check policies and call the company before making any major decision on their behalf. Insurance policies do differ from company to company, in some cases you may not be covered, in most you will. Please check.

Locksmith work Insurance cover – Security awareness & accident prevention Locksmith work Insurance cover

Accident prevention is often a better choice than going through a burglary and having to deal with insurance companies. The unexpected does happen unfortunately but there are ways to minimise it happening.

Have your property inspected by a locksmith *. It will be cheaper than paying for the consequences.

Update those old worn out locks.

In 60% of cases burglars walk through the front door. Make sure it is locked even if you are in the building.

Improve security on out buildings and remote locations.

Keep valuables out of sight.

Do not make your property an easy target.

Change the locks immediately after moving in to a new property.

*We offer free consultations for insurance queries.

Call a locksmith to discuss what people are generally covered for. Please bear in mind unless there are visible signs of a break in you are not covered by most insurance policies. Be careful about who you share keys with.