The first Sunday in November marks the time to set your clocks back. It also marks the onset of darker evenings. Home insurance experts say it’s a time when burglars can increasingly target properties this time of year. They have more dark hours which gives them a great opportunity to strike, according to Halifax Home Insurance. The insurance provider says last year they recorded a 63 percent increase in burglary claims during winter months compared to summer months. “Year on year we typically see far more burglaries occurring during the winter,” said Halifax Home Insurance Senior Claims Manager Martyn Foulds in a news release. ” Burglars will tend to go for the path of least resistance and look for homes that lack even the basic security measures, so a few simple cost effective steps can go a long way to avoiding a break in.”

Some tips to help you make it through the winter without welcoming in a burglar include:

* Keeping valuables away from windows and doors where a crook can easily spot them.

* Mark property with an inscription or ultra violet pen.

* Photograph your personal items and keep track of receipts and serial numbers.

* Invest in a small safe to keep unused credit cards, personal documents and small valuables like jewelry.

* Make sure all doors and windows are locked.

* Even though it’s convenient, don’t hide a spare key outside of your property.

* Consider installing an alarm.

* Trim bushes near windows to give burglars fewer hiding places.

Not only is it a good idea to revisit your home insurance policy for theft reasons, WVNS says it’s also a time to reevaluate your coverage overall. Insurance agents advise assessing the true value of your home. That way if bad weather, flooding or snow hits you’ll be covered. “When a loss happens we have insurance to pay for the damage, but there’s a lot of hidden costs that you’re not compensated for; in that you don’t have insurance coverage to pay for you to shop around for a new refrigerator and a new roof, or a contractor to repair the damage,” Jim Songer, President of Songer Insurance told WVNS.

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