Halloween is a fun holiday, providing children and adults alike the opportunity to express a new personality for a day by dressing up in costume. And trick or treating expands the merriment, with families walking from house to house in the neighborhood, knocking on doors and receiving a treat.
But what happens if one of those adorable little ghosts trips on your driveway and breaks a bone? Or if you discover a “trick” happened to your house when you wake up the next morning?
You can take precautions, and one of those may be to review your homeowner’s insurance prior to Oct. 31. Key points you could discuss with your agent include your liability coverage or your personal property coverage. Having additional protection against potential vandalism or possible injury on your property might be a good idea.
Here are some other ways you can have a safe Halloween and hopefully not experience any monster problems:
* Light your yard and walkways so trick-or-treaters can see the path. Keep any cords off the ground and make sure decorations are visible.
* For trick-or-treating safety, establish a line by your door or out in your yard so the princesses, fairies, firemen and pumpkins don’t crowd or push each other, which could cause a fall. If you anticipate a large crowd of trick-or-treaters, ask family members or neighbors to help keep things organized.
* If you don’t want to participate in the Halloween activities, keep your porch light off. But do make your house look occupied, because unfortunately, trickery in the forms of toilet papering, egging, pumpkin smashing or other acts of vandalism do occur frequently on Halloween. You could place strategic lighting in open spaces and highlighting landscaping in your yard, and after the trick or treating hours are over, turn on the lights inside your house so it looks like you’re awake.
* Talk with your children about Halloween safety, and remind them that acts of vandalism are crimes. Make sure they’re around a parent chaperone the entire evening, and if you do discover they created damage to property, discuss with them the consequences they will need to face.
With just a few precautions, you may be able to avoid scary and unexpected surprises this Halloween. Put on your favorite costume, load up on Halloween treats and enjoy the festivities this year.
