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Comment by mseebach | Hacker News Reader

Around here, number one thing insurance checks is whether there's evidence of a break-in. If thieves walk in through an unlocked door, you're not covered. I don't lock my door to keep thieves out, I lock my door to make sure insurance gives me a new laptop if someone happens to break in.

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And you use an unpickable Modeco door lock? You changed the lock yourself to make sure that no previous tenants or a janitor have a key?

It's a 6-pin Ruko series 600 (probably local to Denmark). The cylinder was reset (pins changed) as part of the apartment take over, but theoretically the janitor could have fixed a copy for himself.

I'm probably not perfectly secured against a motivated thief, but he's not interested in me. He'll find a three year old MacBook (if I'm home, which I'm probably not), a lowend 37" LCD TV bolted to the wall and a few bottles of good scotch in the cabinet. If I had a collection of fine arts or other valuables, I'd be better secured.

You're missing the point about the insurance company.

The point is that the insurance company can claim this but it wouldn't stand up in court. They would have to demonstrate that it an unbroken door proves negligence on your part - which would mean demonstrating that it is impossible for a thief to get past the lock otherwise.

No, they can simply deny your claim and then the burden of proof is on you to prove that you locked your door and the thief gained entry by picking the lock. Remember, in any dispute the person who wants the money is the one who has to prove their claims.

Are you sure your lock can't be opened without trace (bumped)?

Yeah, I've seen a lock-smith open it, they drill, which obviously is destructive (although a thief might just replace the thing around the lock, like the lock-smith did.

Anyway, the thief probably doesn't care about whether or not I can tell he was there. He want my laptop, because it translates to a fix. As a matter of fact, I've heard "they're insured anyway" as part of the self-justification among the petty thieves.

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