Halloween Safety: Best Practices to Avoid Homeowners Insurance Claims This Halloween

With the numerous treats the Halloween season brings, it also has its fair share of tricks. Home insurance claims caused by fire, theft, and vandalism typically increase on Halloween, according to data from Lemonade. As a homeowner, there are plenty of things you can do to prepare and best avoid the nightmare of an insurance claim. From decorating tips to home security guidelines, we have compiled a guide of Halloween safety tips to help you have a safe and spooky Halloween.

How to Decorate Safely for Halloween

One of the most common ways to celebrate Halloween is to deck your house in spooky decorations, like spider webs and skeletons. However, if you’re not careful, your decorations might pose a risk to your trick-or-treaters. This could unfortunately result in a filed homeowners insurance claim. When you turn your home into a haunted house, be sure to follow these proactive Halloween safety measures to best prevent a possible claim.

Avoiding Fire Hazards

One of the easiest ways to safely decorate for Halloween is to avoid potential fire hazards. Candles, for instance, are commonly found as part of a Halloween display. However, open flames can be immensely dangerous when left unattended. They can be hazardous around flammable decorations, such as streamers, spider webs, and drapes. There’s also the possibility of an eager trick-or-treater or a startled pet knocking a candle over. It’s best to replace any open-flame candles in your decor with LED or battery-powered candles to keep your space safe from accidental fires. This includes in your jack-o-lanterns!

Avoid using power-consuming devices like lights or heat lamps that could overheat from consistent use. Staying aware of how much power you are using for your display is a good idea, too. Use minimal electrical power in order to not overload circuits, as this could be a major fire hazard.

Clear Out Tripping Hazards

Tripping hazards are another common occurrence for trick-or-treaters. In order to prevent any liability claims or damages caused by accidental falls, ensure children and parents have plenty of cleared space to walk. Whether it be to your front door or driveway, a walkway should always be visible. Either clearly mark or remove extension cords, strings, and stakes holding down decorations in your yard. 

Additionally, ensure walkways are sufficiently lit. The trick-or-treaters heading for your candy bowl need to be able to see where they’re walking!

Prepping Your (Haunted) House

In addition to decorating safely, there are a few things you can do to prepare your house and protect yourself from theft or vandalism claims. These types of claims tend to rise on the night of Halloween, so preparing your home proactively can help save you the hassle of a homeowners claim later on.

Lock Your Home & Car

As a general rule for Halloween safety, be sure to keep everything locked. Lock your windows and back doors before trick-or-treating begins. You may be opening and closing your front door to hand out candy, but it’s a good idea to keep it locked in between trick-or-treaters, just to be on the safe side.

In addition, be sure to keep your car locked at all times. Remove any valuables from your car. If you have a garage, park your vehicle inside of it and lock the garage, as well.

Leave Your Lights On

As previously mentioned, the number of thefts and vandalism incidents increases on Halloween night. Because of this, it’s best to leave a light on even if you leave the house, as it can deter potential thieves and vandals.

Keep Pets Secure

Halloween can be an overwhelming event for pets, especially those who startle easily. Our beloved companions may mean well, but if startled by a scary costume or mask, or a sudden noise from a speaker, they can get rowdy. That’s why it’s best to keep your pets secure for the Halloween festivities. If they’re joining you to help hand out candy, be sure to keep them safely on a leash.

Set Up Security Cameras

For extra peace of mind, installing security cameras outside of your house or a doorbell camera at your front porch can help monitor your property at all times. It’s a good way to help deter any Halloween pranksters looking to play tricks on your house. But, if in the worst case scenario damages are sustained, you also have a record of what happened to show your insurance provider.

Trick-or-Treating Safety

Trick-or-treating is one of the most common traditions on the night of Halloween, and it’s an opportunity for kids to have fun! But it comes with its fair share of risks, too. To ensure a safe and spooky environment for all of your neighborhood’s trick-or-treaters, be sure to keep these Halloween safety guidelines in mind.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

The costumed kids on the streets Halloween night are focused on one thing: candy. That means it’s up to us to be aware of our surroundings! Look both ways before crossing the street, ensure there are no tripping hazards on sidewalks, and keep an eye on your home, if possible. Being alert is the best way to keep yourself and those around you safe.

Drive Cautiously

If you find yourself driving on Halloween night, be sure to keep under the speed limit. Drive slow and cautiously through neighborhoods where kids might still be trick-or-treating. Be sure to always keep your eyes on the road. Driving safely is the best way to keep our roads safe.

Ensure Costumes Are Safe

Just as an extra precaution, ensure your kids’ costumes are kept away from open flames. If their pant legs are a bit long, or their sleeves hang over their fingers, roll them up to prevent tripping while walking and tugging on trees or decorations.

All Treats, No Tricks with TGS Insurance

As a general rule year-round, always keep your homeowners insurance policy up-to-date. Having your insurance policy secure and set-in-place beforehand can save you time and money in the long run. Halloween safety starts with proper preparation!

The scariest night of the year tends to come with lots of tricks, but you can act now to prevent any tricks a homeowners claim might play on you. TGS Insurance is here to help guide you through the haunted house of insurance. Give one of our agents a call today and get your homeowners policy secure and ready for a safe and spooky Halloween!