Hong Kong is Safe, but you still need Home Insurance

This week it was revealed that nine men involved in a string of home burglaries had been arrested. The men were responsible for break ins across the city, stealing almost HK$ 600,000 in property and cash. While burglary incidents are down in 2021 (337 cases vs 655 cases for the same period in 2020), home invasions and robberies can, and will, happen.

Hong Kong has long held a reputation for being a relatively safe city, certainly the crime you’d face in London or New York is not as evident here. However, Hong Kong is also home to an extremely high density of some of the world’s wealthiest people; people who own nice things and have expensive possessions. The nine men arrested this week entered the city illegally by sea in Mid-may from China, and had links to a crime syndicate in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region.

This is not out of the ordinary. Hong Kong, as home to some of the wealthiest people on the planet, has long been a target for criminal elements with Home Burglaries, Kidnapping, and Car Theft having a long and storied history in the city.

So, although Hong Kong is a fairly safe city, just as life in any City, there are risks.

Burglary and Robbery are a threat

One of more common crimes in Hong Kong is that of Burglary/Robbery. So, it’s probably helpful that we define these terms and give ourselves some context.

Burglary: entry into a building illegally with intent to commit a crime, especially theft.

Robbery: the action of taking property unlawfully from a person or place by force or threat of force.

Both of these crimes involve the victim losing some form of property. Whether this is money or a personal possession, the end result is that you will suffer a loss. In the case of the arrested men mentioned above, when they were captured, police recovered a large number of watches and jewelry items within the haul.

In Hong Kong it is not uncommon to walk down the street and see a lady with a 9-carat diamond ring on her finger, or a man with a HK$100,000 Rolex on his wrist. These outward displays of wealth give good indications of what that individual may own at home; there is a good chance that the person with a nice watch also has a nice computer, or a nice piece of art hanging on their walls. But ignoring the signals sent by what a person wears or carries, in Hong Kong your address is enough to make you a target.

Homes in Stanley, Repulse Bay, the Mid-levels, or the Peak are expensive. It then stands to reason that these homes contain expensive contents, and consequently present attractive targets to criminals.

Home Contents Insurance is more than just contents

While no insurance is going to be able to offset the emotional and psychological toll of having someone invade your home and take your property, Home Contents Insurance is designed to ensure that you are able to replace any items you may have lost. Further to this, modern Home Contents Insurance plans have been designed to face the risks presented by the 21st century.

At present, in the Hong Kong insurance market, there exist Home Contents Insurance policies with coverage for:

• Accidental Death or Loss of a Pedigree Pet
• Garden and Landscaping reconstruction after theft or vandalism
• Theft and Forgery of Credit Cards
• Identity Fraud
• Kidnap and Ransom Expenses
• Data Replacement
• Disability Alteration and Rebuilding Costs
• Event Cancellation
• Food Spoilage
• Force Evacuation
• Locating a Leak
• Loss of Metered Water and Heating Fuel
• Lock Replacements
• Loss of Rent
• Precautionary Repairs
• Property Owned by Domestic Employees

Home contents is, at its core, designed to protect you against loss or damage to your personal possessions. Yet few people realize that this type of insurance has evolved tremendously from its origins, with high level policies giving you an unparalleled umbrella of coverage.

Worldwide and ALL of your risks

Most home contents and personal assets insurance options in Hong Kong will allow you to obtain worldwide all risks cover on your personal property. Countries under UN sanctions, and countries actively engaged in war are typically excluded from this worldwide protection, but everywhere else you have the assurance that your belongings are protected.

Maybe you’re leaving home one day, and while you’re getting in the car manage to forget your laptop on the roof. Sound unbelievable? It happened this week:

Life Happens. Accidents Happen. The unforeseen occurs. Having a quality home contents insurance policy enables you to avoid so much stress and a great deal of headache by having the assurance that your property is protected. No matter what.

With the flexibility and depth of coverage being provided by modern home contents insurance products, this type of protection has expanded far beyond the home – encompassing most of the intangible, personal risks that you’re likely to face in the interconnected life of the 21st century. By going above and beyond, and including umbrella protection for issues like Identity Theft, Credit Card Fraud, and even Data Replacement, Home contents insurance is a tool which you can use to simplify and streamline your life.

Although Hong Kong is a safe city, crime is still present here. If you haven’t already, maybe now is the time to think about home contents insurance.