Insurance

If you're living in University accommodation at either Storthes Hall or Ashenhurst, the good news is that your possessions are likely to be covered already by block insurance through Endsleigh. You can check what is and isn't covered by having a look at the policy.

It makes sense to ensure that any expensive belongings are covered by insurance and that they are properly identified. You can register your mobile phone, laptop, mp3 and any other mobile electronic on the Immobilise website.

This means that if your property is lost or stolen you can both report it to the police and use your immobilise account to place it on the Stolen Equipment National Database (SEND). This will help the police quickly and safely to return your goods if they are recovered.

You could also think about marking your valuable items to make things more difficult for thieves to sell on and easier for the police to track and recover. You could use something sharp to engrave your details or better still, invest in a UV pen (your flatmates may be interested in sharing the cost). The ink is invisible to the naked eye but can be scanned by the police.

Record your SIM and IMEI number from your mobile phone and keep them somewhere safe (not with the phone). You can find the IMEI by dialing *#06# into the handset. If the phone is lost or stolen, the IMEI can be used to block it on every network which makes it useless to anyone else. It might also help the police identify who stole your phone.