How holiday pics could leave your home vulnerable 

Holidaymakers have been warned to hold back on posting holiday snaps to social media until they are back home, or else risk voiding their home insurance. 

This is an escalating issue given 40% are now choosing their holidays depending on how ‘instagrammable’ they are.*

Social media-fuelled tourism is on the rise but it’s not without its issues.  Insurance comparison experts from Quotezone.co.uk are warning holidaymakers against a common mistake which could leave them uninsured in an emergency.

The warning comes after reports show a burglary occurs every two minutes in England and Wales, and the year ending March 2023 saw 191,490 residential break ins across the country.**

Brits have been told posting any information about their summer holiday on public or private social media accounts could leave their homes vulnerable. 

Posting information about summer holidays online, whether to a private or public audience, lets people know a home is empty for a period of time, therefore leaving it vulnerable to burglary. 

Insurance companies expect customers to be vigilant, so it is important that homeowners take ‘reasonable care’ to protect their home by not showing off their empty place on the internet and enticing burglars. 

Posting photos of a summer holiday may not be enough on its own to lead to an unvalidated claim, but oversharing online could call into question the ‘reasonable care’ of the property. 

Posting a holiday countdown, or information of the start and end date of the holiday can be a green light to burglars, as it lets them know the exact dates the property will be empty. 

The experts also urge against checking in at holiday locations or sharing photos of your passport at the airport. 

CEO and home insurance expert at Quotezone.co.uk, Greg Wilson, said: “With the rise of social media tourism, this particular issue is unfortunately becoming more common.  Especially if there are younger people living in the home and travelling on holiday with the family, then they need to be made aware of the security implications to their family home.

“Harmless tags, shares and check-ins could put the property at risk and invalidate the insurance protection – even snapping and sharing online photos of other families on the trip could put their cover at risk too.

“There are however simple ways to be more security conscious, saving up photos until they return home, tightening up privacy settings and avoiding giving away any specific timings or locations, can all help protect the home and the insurance.”

Quotezone.co.uk travel safety dos and don’ts:

1. DON’T tag location
2. DO wait until you’re back at home to share holiday snaps
3. DO use private stories if posting
4. DON’T post about the length of your trip
5. DON’T let others tag you in holiday posts

Checking that insurance policies are up to date is also crucial to avoid accidentally voiding any claims that need to be made, paying particular attention to the number of days the property is likely to be left unoccupied, if holidaymakers have selected 0-14 days unoccupied on their policy and end up booking a three week holiday, there may be issues should they need to make a claim during that time.  It’s important that travellers keep insurance providers in the loop with any changes to their plans that might affect their home or travel insurance policies.

References: 

*https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewarnold/2018/01/24/heres-how-much-instagram-likes-influence-millennials-choice-of-travel-destinations/#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20recent%20survey,available%20at%20a%20low%20cost.

**https://www.adt.co.uk/blog/the-2023-burglary-report