Halloween & Insurance: Home Safety Tips

Everybody wants to have a safe and spooky Halloween , but sometimes accidents happen. Homeowners insurance helps cover common accidents and hazards that can happen on Halloween. With a little preparation, and the right protection, you can help prevent any mishaps — and avoid an insurance claim.

How to Keep Your Home Safe During Halloween

Easy ways to protect your home during Halloween include:

• Locking all your doors
• Parking your locked vehicles in your garage
• Keeping lights on outside
• Making sure valuables are out of sight

There are even more ways to keep your home and visitors safe during Halloween, and homeowners insurance can help too. Here’s our six tips on how you can help make sure trick-or-treaters are safe when visiting your home on Halloween.

1. Clear your walkway

Slips and falls are very common at Halloween. Navigating an unfamiliar walkway is tricky enough. Now imagine a youngster with not-so-stable footing, trying to get around with a mask on. Yikes! Help them out by making sure your walkway, steps and front door area are well lit and clear of any debris. Liability insurance typically will cover slip and fall injuries, but you don’t want to be a contributing factor to these injuries. It pays to be proactive.

2. Avoid open flames

Electric candles provide a very homey flicker and no safety hazards. Protect yourself, your guests and your property from fire by eliminating the flame from your decorations and replacing it with a safer alternative. Homeowners insurance will protect your property in the event of a fire and will help pay the bills if someone is injured in your home, but it’s best to avoid using open flames on Halloween.

3. Secure your furry friend

While your pup may be the best-behaved dog on the block, Halloween may still prove to be too exciting. Not only do animals feel some stress from constant visitors in costumes, but many kids fear animals and dog bites in particular. The safest course of action during Halloween is to confine your pet to another area of the home so they can relax and your visitors will feel welcome. If your dog does bite someone, you may have insurance coverage with your homeowners or renters insurance – connect with your insurance agent to make sure you’re covered.

4. Discourage vandalism

While the threat of a trick is typically good-natured, there are some vandals that roam about on Halloween. Keeping your home, garage and yard well-lit and locked may provide just enough deterrent to keep them away. But if that doesn't work, does homeowners insurance cover vandalism? Don't worry, you can look to your homeowners or your comprehensive car insurance for help with claims. Read more about home insurance and vandalism.

5. Be kind if you can’t participate

If you’re planning on not being home or choose not to hand out candy during Halloween, there are still ways you can join in the fun and keep your home safe. A fun, festive note on your front door easily let trick-or-treaters know you’re not home and can help prevent unnecessary doorbell rings or curious guests trying to open up.

It’s also an opportunity to let them know you hope to be back for next year. Of course, leaving a bowl of candy out in front of your door is a kind way to thank kids for stopping by.

If you don’t plan on participating, be courteous and attentive to the safety of trick-or-treaters haunting your neighborhood. That way you’ll help support a safe and trouble-free evening.

6. Make sure your home is protected

It’s always a good idea to keep your home protected from the unexpected, but even more so on Halloween when you may have many ghostly guests. Home security systems with cameras or motion-sensitive lights are a great way to proactively keep an eye on your home from anywhere at anytime.

A homeowners policy from American Family covers fires, storms, theft, riots, vandalism and more. From equipment breakdown to sump pump failure, we also offer additional coverages to fit your specific needs. Get a quote today and protect your peace of mind.

Once you’ve created a safe environment for fun, you can enjoy the spookiest day of the year. It’s always a good idea to check your policies to add peace of mind, so be sure to connect with your American Family Insurance agent (Opens in a new tab) — they’re always happy to help!

This article is for informational purposes only and includes information widely available through different sources.