Every year, agents and local police prepare themselves for the mess left behind by vandals.
Today, local police and insurance agents are getting themselves ready for the darker side of Halloween than the ghosts and goblins that wander the streets looking for candies, as insurance news headlines every year will spike with property damage claims.
Without fail every year, vandals will batter people’s homes, properties, and cars with eggs, pumpkins, and toilet paper.
According to an insurance news release from Mercury, last year, there was a rise of 3 percent in auto claims and 5 percent in homeowners claims during the week of Halloween. The claims innovation director at that insurance company, Stephanie Behnke, said that policyholders were “reporting everything from egged and ‘pumpkined’ cars to creatively mummified homes.” That provider currently has agents in thirteen different states.
Though Halloween pranks may seem harmless, insurance news reports reveal that the damage that results is costly.
According to Elizabeth Stelzer, a spokesperson for Nationwide, over the past five years, auto claims have increased by 5.5 percent, while homeowners claims have spiked by 9 percent during that week, with regards to vandalism, alone.
Similarly, State Farm’s spokesperson, Justin Tomczak, said that they saw thefts rise by 15 percent, last year, on Halloween, above the daily average. The year before, it had been up by 28 percent, while the year before that rose by 16 percent.
Insurance companies and local authorities, this year, are recommending that their customers take a few extra steps to make sure that their property will be better protected against the activities of pranksters, vandals, and even thieves.
One of the best ways to avoid becoming a Halloween insurance news statistic, this year, is to take a few extra steps to keep your home, property, and possessions safe. Make sure that it is clear that the home is occupied. That said, lock windows and doors. If the home is actually empty, put lights on a timer and stop newspapers and mail delivery until the return. If there is a garage, park the car inside, if possible. Keep an eye on what is going on outside, so that if anything sketchy is going on, the outside lights can be turned on, and local law enforcement can be called. Be sure to review auto and homeowners insurance policies to know that coverage will be adequate if the worst does happen.