The figures, published in January, showed a 4 per cent increase in domestic burglary between July and September last year compared with the same three months in 2007 and gave the first official indications that the economic downturn has coincided with signs of rising crime.
Managing Director of HomeLet John Boyle said: "It is unfortunate but not surprising that as the recession deepens and unemployment rises there has been an increase in the number of burglaries.
"We would always advise tenants to take out specialist insurance, as it can also cover them for accidental damage, but in the light of these figures from the Home Office it is more important than ever that tenants are adequately insured."
"Conventional home contents policies will give a basic degree of cover for most insured perils but are not specifically designed for tenants and there can be some major gaps in the cover they need."
As well as protecting the contents of the property against theft by forcible means, HomeLet's Tenant's Contents Insurance can also cover tenants should they accidentally spill a glass of red wine on the carpet or burn the kitchen worktop for example.
Many people don't realise that if they're living in a rented property their landlord can take the cost of the repairs for damage to the contents, building, fixtures and fittings out of their deposit.
There are countless examples of tenants who have experienced a loss or damage to the property through, burglary, fire, flood or other insured risks and have been horrified to discover they have been left with the cost of replacing the items themselves.
