You’ve worked hard for what you have.
Sadly, there are people out
there that think they have a right to take it away from you.
Protect what you own and don’t give burglars an inch because they will take a mile!
Are you on a countdown to your next holiday?
I bet you can’t wait for the cocktails by the pool, the sand between your toes and the warm sun beating down on your face. Before you go, make sure you take everything into consideration for the security and safety of your home.
Here are some ‘key’ things to consider before you go away:
1. Do you have house insurance?
Make sure your policy is up to date. Inform your insurance company of any changes that may be relevant.
2. Check your locks!
Make sure everything is locked inside and out!
3. Have you ever thought about using a house sitter?
4. Doing a house exchange for your holiday is becoming very popular now. Knowing someone else is looking after your home whilst you are away is reassuring.
5. Social media and chit chat.
Resist the temptation to share your excitement with everyone about your holiday and the dates when you are going.
We all love to show our holiday snaps to friends and family and it’s so easy to do through social media platforms like Facebook for example.
The best thing is to create a group of people from your ‘friends’ list that you know you can trust and then share those funny pictures or beautiful views with peace of mind.
6. Think twice before you talk to people in a public place about your holiday and the dates your house will be vacant.
You never know who is listening!
7. Don’t leave your house looking unoccupied.
*Ask family or friends to check on your property (make sure you tell your neighbours that people will be visiting the property to check it and tell them what car those visitors will be driving)
*Cancel normal deliveries like milk and newspapers. Ask the person checking the house to move any mail from the door
*Keep curtains open and ask the person checking the house to adjust them slightly each time they go in
*If your driveway will be empty whilst you are away, ask a neighbour to park one of their cars on your driveway
*Cut your lawns before you go on holiday and make sure the grounds of your property look tidy and well cared for. If possible, ask a neighbour to cut your lawn, clear leaves and if it’s snowing, ask them to shovel the snow off your path and driveway – don’t forget to say thank you with a bottle of wine! If you have a great sense of humour you could always nominate your neighbour for an award…
*Secure things outside your property that could blow over in the wind and there is no one there to pick them up. A trampoline or garden furniture for example. Find out how…
*If you store a ladder outside of the house or garage, make sure it is secure and can’t be removed from the storage area. Lock up your ladders!
*Take away any tools that are outside of the house that could be used to break into the house. Don’t give the bad people the tools to do the damage!
*Don’t leave holiday luggage packed in the car overnight on the day before you leave
*If you are leaving a second car on your drive, park it as close as you can to the garage door
*Put valuables out of view just in case someone was to look in the windows. Or take valuables to another location!
*You could always install a safe
*Advertise your security on the outside of your home using house alarm boxes or CCTV warning signs for example
*Remove your spare keys that are hidden outside of the house, such as under a mat or inside a plant pot. Hide other keys that are inside the house, spare car keys etc…
8. Slow those bad people down!!
*Have good door locks and window locks installed on your property
*Put as many obstacles in the way as possible to restrict the time that a burglar has to break into your home. If it’s taking too long to break in they may leave and try somewhere else instead
*You could use Prikka strip along the top of your fences, making it an extremely painful experience if someone was to put their hand on the top of the fence but Prikka strip isn’t animal friendly!
9. Use modern technology as a deterrent. For example:
*Timer switch
*Home security system
*Motion sensors
*Video cameras
*Sensor lights
*Smart home security
*Bee hive
When it comes to security in your home, the smallest effort can make a big difference.