1. “Facts of student life”
The figures are taken from the Endsleigh Possessions Survey 2006, which took place during the summer term this year on campuses across the UK and online. Endsleigh received responses from around 3500 students.
What items do students own?
Student houses tend to have high value portable goods; such as laptops, portable TVs
and MP3 players.
FACT – 79% of students own a laptop with the average student owning £850 worth of computer equipment.
FACT – 59% of students own an MP3 player.
FACT – 99.8% of students own a mobile phone.
How much are these belongings worth?
The latest research by Endsleigh, carried out via a national on-campus poll in recent months, shows that on average students estimate they bring £3394 of belongings to university or college.
FACT – However, our research also shows that on average students actually bring £4512 of belongings. This shows how essential student insurance really is.
This means on average students underestimate the value of their belongings by around £1118 – this is crucial when deciding on how much insurance cover is required.
When Endsleigh ran the same survey during the last academic year, we found that on average students then estimated that their possessions were worth £3494 while the actual average was found to be £4244.
Why do thieves target students?
Some students take a more relaxed attitude to security, for example leaving doors unlocked in halls. The communal nature of shared accommodation in halls or digs means that even security conscious students could be at risk from housemates/flatmates leaving doors unlocked or windows open.
Some landlords do not change locks of properties regularly, so ex-tenants who copy or retain keys can still gain access. Many insurers do not cover ‘walk-in thefts’ – i.e. where no force has been used to gain entry - but Endsleigh’s cover does.
FACT – 53% of students have no protection against walk in theft or don’t know if they are covered.
FACT – Over 30% of our claims for burglary follow no forcible entry to the property.
Thieves often target the same student accommodation each year – they often know which houses are easy to break into and are more confident when they know the layout of a property.
FACT – 41% of students who buy insurance do so because they know that thieves target students.
FACT – 23% of students rely on their parents home insurance to protect their belongings at university.
Burglars are aware that students’ possessions are replaced “new for old”. This often results in students being targeted more than once during their student days.
Students are especially vulnerable in their first few weeks at college or university. During freshers’ week there are lots of new people walking around so strangers can mix with a crowd and not be challenged.
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