Have you ever heard of home jacking? This illicit practice consists of entering a private individual’s home, stealing the keys to his car and driving off again. How does the insurance deal with this type of violation? How to protect yourself from this? Our responses.
Home-jacking principle
Home jacking is an increasingly popular technique, especially in beautiful neighborhoods, where high-end cars are often found. The principle is simple and not lacking in nerve: break into a private home and simply steal the keys (and papers if possible) of his vehicle, to then go back on board.
To do this, the thieves can follow two operating methods:
-enter the house by breaking and entering, in the absence of the occupants
-penetrating when they are there, and threatening them to recover keys and papers
The advantage of such a practice is to be able to steal a car without breaking and entering. Thus, it is easier to steal, use or resell it, since it does not have a scratch!
Insurance coverage
There is no home-jacking guarantee in auto insurance contracts . It is the Theft guarantee that comes into play in this type of situation.
Small downside: the break-in is often one of the essential criteria for the theft to be taken care of, but the car was not damaged in this specific case. No problem ! It is enough to prove that one has indeed been a victim of home-jacking (break-in of the front door or a window, testimony of the occupants if they have been threatened …) for the auto insurance to agree to reimburse the victim.
Home insurance can also be taken into account to repair the damage suffered by the home during the burglary , or to compensate its occupants in the event of additional theft (blackboard, television, valuables, etc.).
How to protect yourself from home jacking?
To minimize the risks of this new generation theft, you have to secure your home . First, install an alarm (sound system, sound transmission, motion detector, etc.), then choose an armored or reinforced door and equip it with labeled locks , which will give the thief a hard time for at least 5 minutes.
Remember that doors and bay windows must also be fitted with locks, locked from the inside only. To complete the panoply, it is also possible to put bars on the windows, in particular those on the ground floor.
With that, you don’t risk being a victim of home-jacking, or even being burgled!
