Protecting Your Home While You’re On Vacation.

Got a vacation coming up? This time of year is always a good time to go away. It’s not as busy or expensive as mid-summer, but the weather’s still nice. Plus its peak tourist season for a few more weeks meaning there’s plenty to do while you’re away. But while you might be looking forward to your upcoming adventure, there’s always a worry in the back of every holidaymaker’s mind, and that’s home security. Leaving your beloved home for a week or two can be a nerve-wracking thing to do. Luckily there’s plenty you can do before you leave to make sure your house is safe and secure. The last thing you want is to be worrying about it while you’re away and trying to enjoy yourself!

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Check Your Burglar Alarm

You should test your burglar alarm on a regular basis to make sure everything is working properly. But if it’s been a while since you’ve checked yours, give it a test before you go away. There are lots of Youtube videos which explain how to do this, so make sure you put this on your to-do list before jetting off. If you don’t have a burglar alarm, it’s definitely worth having one installed. Not just for when you’re on vacation but to keep your house safe at all times. If you have a trusted neighbor, speak to them too. Let them know that if your alarm goes off when you’re away to call the police immediately. Most burglars are opportunistic and won’t stick around once an alarm goes off. But this gives you the added peace of mind that the police would quickly arrive afterwards if anything were to happen. If you’re prepared to spend a little more, some companies offer monitoring services where they contact the police after it goes off. Some will alert your smartphone too so you’ll know if anything has happened. If you consider yourself to be a particularly high risk, this could be a good investment. It will give you added peace of mind while you’re away.

Install CCTV

CCTV is useful for protecting your home in two ways. It acts as a deterrent; most criminals won’t risk breaking into a house when they know it’s being monitored by cameras. And secondly, it provides evidence to the police just in case something does happen to your home or property. If you don’t have a garage, it can be a good way to keep an eye on your car parked up on the drive or on the street. If you choose a system which offers remote viewing on an app, you can keep tabs on your home at any time. A branded option such as a Z Wave camera should give you all of the features you need.

Make Your Home Look Occupied

A house that looks dark and empty can be a sitting duck for burglars. To give the impression that your home is occupied, automatic lighting is key. You could buy a timer switch and plug a lamp into it. If you put it near to the window and set it to come on each evening, it will give the impression that someone is home. Changing the exact time slightly each day will help this to look more realistic. These are inexpensive to buy, and you could have them in a couple of different rooms so that a tv, radio or lamp is coming on at a different time each day. To go one step further you can even buy curtain rails that open and close your curtains on a timer! Another good way to make sure your home doesn’t look unoccupied, is to have a friend or family member who lives nearby make sure that you don’t have leaflets and newspapers sticking out of your mailbox. These kinds of things can be a clue to burglars that no one is home to remove them.

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