Introduction - whilst you may have a valid home insurance policy covering Theft, it is better to take action to secure your personal possessions from loss. Your contents may be valuable to you but to a thief they just represent an easy source of income. Thieves frequently target items such as small portable electrical items that can be sold on quite quickly.  Under Home Insurance policies, insurers will quite often offer reduced insurance premiums for fine art & antiques as these items are less often stolen. Quite simply they are harder to sell on quickly.  To help prevent theft and the subsequent claim under your home insurance policy ( with perhaps a loss of no claims bonus), why not make it harder for a thief to dispose of your possessions. Post coding represents and easy method of marking your property and can help in the following ways:-

• If you goods are stolen and subsequently recovered by the police, your postcode and house number will help with their return to you

• Thieves do not like handling post coded items, they are traceable and could prove too much of a risk to the opportunist operator

How does post coding work?  - quite simply, you mark your property with your postcode followed by the number of your house, the police are aware of this system and they will easily be able to trace you. If you do not know your postcode, you can contact the post office or visit their website at www.royalmail.com. There you will find a postcode locator.

How can you postcode your property? - there are a number of ways that you can postcode your property, we have detailed some below. It may be an idea to speak to your Home Insurance provider and tell them that you have post coded your property, they may offer you a small discount on your next insurance renewal premium.

Etching or Engraving your Property - This technique is suitable for various hard surfaces and can be carried out using an electrical engraving tool or a hand engraver. This method of marking will leave a permanent mark on your property.


Invisible Marking or Ultra Violet Light Marking - You can easily obtain an ultra violet (UV) pen, which will put an invisible mark on to your property. You will need a UV lamp to see the mark. This is not such a good method of marking as it is invisible and a thief would still be able to sell your goods with little fear of detection. This method is really only recommended where a more permanent mark would reduce the value of the object. Another draw back of this method is that in time, the mark will fade.

Ceramic Marking - You can purchase ceramic marking pens especially to mark, glass, china or any glazed surface. This tool will not scratch or cut the surface but will leave a permanent mark on your property.
Punching.

Another method of marking your property, especially heavier items such as lawn mowers and metallic items is with a set of punches and a hammer.
Professional Marking & Registration Services. This method has become more popular in recent years and there are a number of firms now that will offer property marking and registration services for your personal possessions. You must satisfy yourself though as to the professional standard offered by any commercial organisation.

Electronically Marked Products  - Some products now being introduced on to the market such as television sets allow you to record your details electronically. You will be allocated a security code and only with this code will you be allowed to change the details.

Looking after your possessions  - It is a good idea to keep an inventory of your possessions, as after a loss it may be difficult to remember all of the items that you own. In the event of a Theft or a Fire an Inventory will be prove valuable in obtaining settlement from your insurance company. It is a good idea to keep the Inventory perhaps with your purchase receipts in a safe place. Whilst most insurance companies will not ask you to produce receipts for stolen items unless they are of a particular value, it is a good idea to keep some proof of ownership. With some items such as valuables or antiques a good simple method is to take photographs of the item, these can then be produced to the insurance company at the time of a loss.  When building your inventory, include as much information as possible to assist in identification, are their any special markings or blemishes on your items which might help distinguish it as your own.

Finally if you are considering postcoding your items, remember, that you may end up devaluing the item by marking it, With valuables and Antiques, it is probably better to seek expert advice before permanently marking your property.


Marking things like jewellery or antiques is difficult and could reduce their value. You should get expert advice in these cases. You can still protect items that can't be marked by keeping a record of them. A simple and effective way of doing this is to photograph each item, preferably in colour, paying special attention to any distinguishing marks such as initials or crests which you could use to identify the item. Take the photograph against a plain background and include a ruler to give an idea of size. Use a record form to keep a list of the items you have marked and where the marks are. Keep your list and any photographs safe at all times. It's a good idea to give a copy to someone you trust for them to look after.