Over-sharing Could Invalidate Your Home Insurance
If you use social media, you may have posted a picture by the pool or a selfie from the slopes. Even if you haven’t, you probably know someone who has.
Did you know that sharing your current location or travel plans could void your home insurance?
A quick swipe through your timeline will probably reveal the recent holiday details of friends and family – right down to the travel dates, departure airport and hotel location.
But have you ever stopped to think that posting this sensitive information on Instagram, Facebook or
Twitter could be advertising your vacated property to criminals?
Should your social media take a holiday too?
Maybe your break could be the perfect time to take a holiday from social media too.
If you suffer a break-in whilst on holiday, and had announced your travel plans on social media, it might lead to your home insurance claim being rejected. This is because the insurer might consider the homeowner has not done enough to guard against the theft by posting such information online.
Showing off your latest holiday on social media is tempting, but is it worth jeopardising your home’s security for?
Protect your possessions
The same advice should also be applied to your possessions – particularly those of high value. Showing off your latest expensive purchase online could also be seen as increasing your risk – and would at the very least leave you feeling foolish if you lost or had it stolen as a result.
Staying safe
Insurers are reportedly considering asking home owners if they use social media when assessing their applications, as the risk of over-sharing becomes more and more common. If you do use social media, consider taking the following steps to reduce your risk:
- Turn off location-based services on the social media accounts you use
- Never share your home address on social media
- Make your posts private so that only your friends and connections can see them
