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Break-in on a houseboat: what should doors, windows and hatches stand up to?
Short answer
A houseboat is a home with weaker doors and often no neighbours.
After a break-in the first questions are whether it was locked and whether there are signs of
forced entry.
Solid locks, hatches bolted from inside and a photographed inventory make the difference.
A houseboat offers everything a thief is after: furniture, electronics, tools, often an outboard, and long stretches with nobody aboard, especially in winter. Unlike a house it usually sits on a pontoon that can be reached unseen at night, and many of its doors, windows and hatches were built to keep out wind and water rather than a crowbar. A sliding hatch with a padlock or a plastic window with a simple catch holds nobody up for long.
After a break-in the first two questions are nearly always the same. Was the houseboat locked, and is it clear how someone got in? Many policy wordings draw a line between theft following forcible and violent entry and simple theft through an open door, and often only the first is covered. There are also conditions to meet, such as locking up, keeping valuables out of sight and securing access points while nobody is aboard. Read what your own wording says about security, ideally before the winter lay-up rather than after.
Start with the weak points. Fit the entrance door with a proper lock and an extra bolt, give hatches an internal locking bar rather than relying on a padlock outside, use lockable window handles and put a bar in the track of sliding doors. Lights on a motion sensor and an alarm that alerts your phone help, as do neighbours on the pontoon who know when you are away. Keep an inventory with photographs, serial numbers and receipts. After a break-in, call the police at once, leave everything as found, photograph the damage, list what is missing and report the claim straight away.
Worth remembering
Break-in
Locked, with signs of forced entry
Simple theft
Door or hatch left open, often not covered
Always lock up, bolt hatches from inside and keep a photographed inventory.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Will a claim be paid if the door was not locked?
Often not, or not in full. Many wordings require forcible entry and that the houseboat was locked. Read the security clause in your policy and lock up every time, even for a short walk.
What security is expected on hatches and windows?
Your policy wording sets that out. Internal locking bars on hatches, lockable window handles and bars in sliding door tracks are sensible. An outside padlock alone is quickly cut.
What should I do straight after a break-in?
Call the police, touch nothing, photograph the damage, list what was taken with its value and report the claim at once. Insurers will ask for the crime reference and the list.
Related
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