Many of us see our garden as our pride and joy. We lavish it with hours of time and attention. We fill it with everything we can imagine and then we sit back and enjoy our little paradise. We see it as an extension to our home, especially in summer as garden and house seem to become one and many a delightful afternoon is spent flitting between the two interconnecting spaces.

Enter the “Green fingered” garden visitor, not as you might think a friendly gardener come to help you along the way but a person intent upon taking away that which you value most highly. We see summer as a time to retrieve the garden furniture from the back of the shed, rescuing it from where it has languished since the end of the previous year. We have our barbeques ready to take advantage of the first little bit of sun to cast its rays. We purchase many expensive finishing touches and everything looks brilliant. Unfortunately that’s exactly what the average thief thinks too.

“I’ve got house insurance” you might say. The question is; does your house insurance actually cover the contents of your garden? Here are some interesting facts:

First of all did you know that garden thefts on average, triple during the summer months. According to a report by Nationwide, the top ten items on the average thieves “wish list” are; garden furniture, bicycles, garden ornaments, statues, children’s toys, garden machinery, clothes from washing line, flower pot’s, water features and trampolines.

Not all home insurance providers cover for garden contents and many of us never think to check this at the time of purchase (especially in winter when gardening is most probably the last thing on your mind)

To make sure you don’t leave yourself too at risk think about doing the following; make sure all gates, etc, are secured and locked if possible, install a security light as a deterrent, ensure no items are left out that are small enough to be locked away at night, keep all receipts for items purchased for the garden, in case of a future claim and above all, make sure your insurance policy covers your garden contents!

Does your home insurance policy cover your garden contents? Not all policies do and many of us may be at risk during the summer months from thieves. Make sure you check your house insurance policy to ensure your valuables are covered.