Are you risking your home by failing to do this?

'Tis the season to spend, and with the average intended Christmas spend on presents reaching £350 last year according to ING International, you should be thinking about the safety of your home too.

In fact, this average spend puts the UK at the top of the leaderboard for present spending across Europe last year.%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-Christmas%

But unlike the fairy at the top of the tree, this isn't a great position to be in if you don't also consider protecting yourself and your home.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) figures reveal that last year insurers paid out around £933,000 each day for thefts in the run up to Christmas, dealing with almost 500 claims every day.

Meanwhile, a separate study by insurance provider Aviva has shown people are far more likely to make cosmetic changes to their new homes than invest in home security. Only 8% of new movers said they purchased any sort of security system in their first year, compared to 47% who decorated bedrooms.

Furthermore, fewer than half of recent movers said they updated their home insurance (buildings or contents) after they updated their properties, meaning that some homeowners may be underinsured if they have made significant purchases or changes to their homes.

Protect your home this Christmas

Keep presents away from windows and, although it may be popular to do this, avoid putting them under the Christmas tree where they can be seen by potential thieves.

The ABI also suggest you check your home contents insurance as many insurers will automatically increase your cover over the Christmas period.

Contents insurance is vital if you're going to cover yourself for unexpected events like a burglary or a fire.

Do you need contents insurance?

All your personal belongings – in other words anything not physically attached to the building – will usually be covered for loss or damage, including your furniture, electrical goods, clothing and jewellery – even more important if you have lots of presents in your home.

What does a good contents insurance policy look like?

The ABI recommend you check the value of any electronic gadgets you get after Christmas to see if it's worth increasing your contents insurance.

This article is provided by the Money Advice Service.