When on vacation, the last thing you want to worry about whether your home is safe from would-be burglars. To give yourself some peace of mind while away, you should take as many precautions as possible to ensure your home is secure. It might be obvious to state, but most burglaries happen when nobody is at home. The reason is simple – thieves don’t want to be caught and often look for the path of least resistance. For this reason, it’s important to make it look as if somebody is at home while you’re on vacation. It’s been noted that making it look like your home is occupied is as big of a deterrent to thieves as an alarm due to the high degree of visibility.
Inside Lights
Having your lights and other electronics on a timer goes a long way to making people think somebody is at home. Given today’s ever increasing green consciousness, it may seem like a waste to have your lights on when nobody is home, but its ability to prevent break-ins just can’t be ignored. There are many different automated ways to do this, including the WeMo Switch from Belkin that connects to your WiFi router. The WeMo Switch allows you to set an automated schedule and allows you to turn on your electronics from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection.
Newspaper & Mail Delivery
A quick call to your newspaper carrier or post office will allow you to put delivery on hold while you are away. Nothing says “we’re on vacation” more than a week’s worth of newspapers in your drive way or an overflowing mailbox. By the same token, if your grass has a tendency to grow quickly, it’s a good idea to ask a friend or neighbor to mow your grass while you’re away.
Lock Up
Don’t make getting into your home easy for thieves. Lock everything, including all doors and windows, even those on the second floor. In addition, make sure your garage door is locked, especially if it’s a manual one. If you have sliding glass doors, consider using a bar or dowel in the track for added security. Also, be sure to close all blinds and curtains as this will make it harder to tell if somebody is actually at home.
Don’t Leave Spare Keys
Don’t leave a spare key under your doormat for any reason, this is one of the first places that thieves will look as it’s traditionally the most common places that people hide keys. Even the less obvious hiding places, such as fake rocks, are becoming common knowledge among thieves, which makes hiding a spare key anywhere around your home a bad idea. If you have regular problems with locking yourself out, it would be a good idea to consider options such as keyless access.
Don’t Be Open about Your Travel Plans
With Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Foursqaure and many other social sites at our fingertips, it’s tempting to share your vacation plans. Even posting a picture on Twitter while you’re on vacation can alert people you don’t even know to the fact that you aren’t home. Simply put: don’t do it, and if you do, make sure you share those pictures AFTER you’re home. You can never be too safe.
Hire a House Sitter
If you’re really uncomfortable with the thought of leaving your house unattended for an extended period of time, consider hiring a house sitter. Ideally, you’re looking for a trusted friend or relative that will stay in your house while you’re gone. They can water your plants, take care of pets, collect your newspaper and mail and more while preventing burglaries because somebody really is at home. If you have no trusted friends or relatives near you that can help, there are professional house-sitting services available, but they can be pricey.
What other ideas can you come up with? Please share them in the comment section below!
