10 ways to protect your home while youre on holiday
Sun 29 Aug 2021
Now restrictions are easing it’s becoming more and more likely that you will be going away on holiday. But how do you make sure your home is safe in the time that you are away? Whether you’re going abroad or staying closer to home, here are 10 ways to protect your home while on vacation.
No social media
Leading up to and while you’re going away, don’t advertise your absence on your social accounts. Although this is a personal topic for most, it’s a good idea not to share photos of the gorgeous view until you are back home yourself. This gives no information on when you’re going or when you are back so that there’s no ‘window of opportunity’ for potential criminals to utilise.
It’s also worth knowing that quite often if there is a burglary while you’re away, if your insurance company finds out that you posted you were away on social media, it will void your insurance policy – so it really is worth not posting at all.
Lock it up
Probably one of the most obvious ways to protect your home and its contents is to lock all the doors and windows. Make sure any outbuildings are locked and sheds or storage lockers have multiple safety locks on them. Thieves are generally looking for easy targets, so the more obstacles you can put in the way the better!
Alarm your house
Where possible, you can install a security alarm that will trigger when a door opens unexpectedly. This will help deter anyone who tries to break in, as well as alert neighbours that there may have been a break-in. .
Security cameras
Talking about deterrents, having CCTV or a way of recording your property while you’re not there can help protect your house further. Also if someone does make it past your defences, you’ll have a video to hand which could potentially be used as evidence.
Video Doorbells
Often burglars will check out a property before making a move, checking that there is in fact no one home by posing as a salesman or similar. A video doorbell not only means you can see when someone is approaching your property, but some also have features that let you communicate with them from anywhere via your smartphone, just like you were never away from home in the first place.
Let your neighbours know you’re away
Trustworthy neighbours are worth their weight in gold. It might be worth letting a couple of trusted neighbours know that you are away, so they can collect parcels or anything that’s left outside for you, which can give visual clues that the property is vacant.. They will also more likely be the ones to spot anyone suspicious loitering around.
Communicate with your Landlord
Similarly to neighbours, if you are renting, it may be worth letting your landlord know that you are going to be away, especially if you are going for an extended period of time.
Timers
Being away doesn’t mean you can’t time lights to come on – we’re lucky to have so much technology at our fingertips! You can purchase special bulbs to turn your main lights on from a remote location, or you can purchase timers for your lamps that turn the lamps on and off at set time, mimicking the patterns of someone being in the property.
Insurance
Although this might not protect your house while you’re away, it will protect the value of your possessions in case the worst does happen. Make sure your insurance is up to date and covers any valuables in your home.
House sitter
If possible, and depending on how long you are likely to be away, you could ask someone you trust to house sit for you. This means someone will be living in your home and therefore will dramatically be less of a target for criminal activity.