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Protecting Your Home While You Are Away: Top Tips

Going on holiday is obviously exciting, but regrettably, it often means that home security does not rank very high on the priority list, especially if you are in a haste to get to the airport on time, as is the case with many people who travel. However, it is a sad reality that holidaymakers are frequently vulnerable to opportunistic burglars because their homes are left vacant while they are away on holiday. When we leave our houses or our things unattended for an extended period of time, it is critical that we take the necessary precautions to ensure that they are completely safeguarded. For your benefit, here are some suggestions to keep your home safe while you are gone on holiday to help you feel more prepared before you depart on your journey.

Leave a light on

Because of our desire to conserve energy and protect the environment, it is now against our natural inclinations to keep the lights on, even for a minute, even if we are just out of the room for a few seconds. However, one of the most important things you can do before you go on holiday is to make sure your home appears to be occupied before you go. There are a variety of approaches that may be used to accomplish this, but one of the most effective is to leave a light on while you are away on holiday. This will give the impression that someone is at home, which will prevent any possible criminals in the vicinity.

You should consider purchasing a timer if you plan to be away from home for more than a week or two and are concerned about wasting energy. A timer will switch lights on and off at certain intervals throughout the day, which will save you money on electricity.

Smart lighting can be controlled via an app on your phone. You can also dim and brighten your lights remotely. A burglar is unlikely to risk trying to break into your home if he or she cannot determine whether or not you are present at the time.

Have burglar alarms fitted

This is a good idea whether you are away for a few hours in the daytime at work or for a month on an extended holiday. Burglar alarm installation is not prohibitively expensive and is one of the main deterrents for a would-be robber. After all, who wants a loud, flashing alarm to signify that they are doing something they shouldn’t be?

Turn off the appliances

Before leaving for your trip, double-check that all of your electrical equipment and gadgets are unplugged from the wall and switched off at the power source. Not only will it save you money and energy while you are away on holiday, but it will also lessen the likelihood of power spikes occurring during your absence.

Consider turning off your boiler if you are going to be away from home for more than a week or two during the summer season. However, while it is recommended to keep your heating on during the winter to prevent your pipes from freezing, this is not a concern during the summer due to the warmer temperatures, and therefore it is worth turning off the boiler to save money.

Tell your neighbours

Hopefully, you and your neighbours are already on friendly terms; but, if you aren’t, it could be a good idea to start getting to know them a few months before your trip. Then you may ask them to keep an eye on your house while you are gone for a while, and if you ask nicely, they might even be willing to pick up your post, feed your cat, and water your plants as well. 

While on holiday, if your neighbours are willing to keep a watch on your house while you are gone, it is a good gesture to bring them back a small present from your trip as a thank you, as well as to ensure that they will be willing to do so again in the future. 

Don’t splash it all over social media

It can be extremely appealing to share every detail of our travels on social media – after all, what is Instagram even for?

Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to consider the repercussions of your words before you publish them, particularly when it comes to saying when your home will be uninhabited. Putting a notice on Facebook about your summer break also makes your home available to the public at large when you are not there to welcome them back in. A smart thief could amass quite a timetable by monitoring people’s movements on social media – so it is best not to post your holiday photos until after you have returned from your holiday.

Nb. Collaborative post.