Allstate warns policyholders of home break ins spike at this time of year

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The insurance company is reminding its customers to be vigilant throughout December.

December is often the month with days in which there is most likely to be home break ins, according to a reminder from Allstate Insurance. In Texas, for example, the first of the month is traditionally the busiest for burglars breaking into houses and apartments.

According to the insurer, this trend has been ongoing, driven by a rise in holiday shopping.

With Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and sometimes Cyber Monday falling on or before December 1, that day has become a notorious one when it comes to home break ins. That said, the month as a whole does tend to have a raised rate of burglaries. It isn’t difficult to understand why that is.

With shorter daylight hours, this gives burglars more of an opportunity to break in unseen, particularly as many homeowners tend to be out in the evenings to shop or attend holiday parties. Moreover, there is greater motivation to grab what is inside the home as the biggest shopping days of the year are getting bigger with each passing December, so thieves that make it into homes find a larger number of big ticket items to snag.

Allstate has said that this is a solid trend. The December 1 date for Texas has remained steady for a decade.

Allstate has issued advice for homeowners this year in order to prevent home break ins.

“Think twice before advertising your Thanksgiving travel plans on social media or leaving your Black Friday shopping boxes out on the curb. The last thing you want is for a break-in to ruin your holiday fun,” offered Ralph Peña, a San Antonio Allstate agent quoted in the insurer’s press release on the topic.

The insurance company also suggests that homeowners maintain an updated inventory of all valuables within the home, including receipts and serial numbers when possible. This helps to make the claims process much easier should one need to be made. Remember to store the list in a fire safe box or, even Home Break Ins - Mayhem - The Social Media-Savvy Burglar - Allstate Insurance YouTubebetter, in the cloud. Don’t save it on a device hard drive such as on a computer or phone that could be stolen during home break ins.

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