Tips to Keep Your Home Secure When You're Away

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And who to book a holiday with

Booking a holiday is an exciting time. If you’ve found a great deal through a company like The Co-operative Travel, you’ll no doubt be counting down the days.

While you’re away, however, it’s important not to neglect the security of your home. After all, nothing is more enticing to burglars than an overtly empty house. So, in order to enjoy your holiday to the fullest, without having to worry about what’s going on at home, here are a few tips to keep your home secure when you’re away: 

Ask a friend to keep an eye on things

Whether it’s a close friend, family member or a neighbour, it’s imperative that you don’t leave your house unattended for long periods of time without asking someone you trust to keep an eye on things.

Giving your trusted house-sitter a key, not only ensures that the plants get watered, but it’s an excellent way of demonstrating that there is a bit of daily activity in your home, which provides a much-needed deterrent to prospective burglars.

Invest in timer switches

When they go on holiday, some home-owners think it prudent to leave a light or two on permanently in their house. Nothing, however, could be more welcoming to thieves. Burglars rarely decide to break into a home on a whim; they will almost certainly monitor your house for signs of activity over several days.

If, over the course of their surveillance, burglars notice that the same lights are continuously switched on, they will take that as a sure sign that nobody is home, increasing the likelihood of a break in. In this regard, timer switches are a wise investment; they switch lights and appliances on and off at intervals throughout the day, helping to deter thieves, who are likely to assume that the house is occupied.

Don’t forget about your subscriptions

With so many administrative tasks on the agenda before you take your holiday, it’s likely that putting a hold on newspaper and magazine subscriptions is the furthest thing from your mind. A pile of old newspapers and magazines outside your front door is, however, an open invitation for burglars.

It may be time-consuming to make a couple of phone calls to put a hold on the delivery of the periodicals that you subscribe to, but it’s a hassle that greatly increases the security of your home while you’re away.

Don’t allow the grass to grow

You may or may not cut your own grass, but leaving your front lawn to grow while you’re away is a definitive signal to prospective thieves that your home is unoccupied.

While you’re away, still ensure that your grass is cut regularly by your gardener. If, however, mowing the lawn is a task that you usually undertake yourself, consider paying a next door neighbour’s son or daughter a few pounds to keep your front lawn tidy while you’re away.

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While ensuring that all of the possible entrances to your house are locked and your security alarm is set are obvious precautions to take when you’re away, it’s important to look past the obvious and consider reducing the number of tell- tale signs that your home is unoccupied. A little thought could save you a great deal of unnecessary expense and heartache.

 

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June 27, 2013