Keep Your Home Safe While on Holiday

With summer just around the corner it’s time to start preparing for that well-deserved end of year break! Don’t let the excitement of a trip away blind you to the risks of leaving your home unprotected. A little extra vigilance and planning ahead will help keep your property and belongings safe while you are away – and will keep you from worrying once you’re on the road to your stress-free destination.

Put a hold on your mail

When you’re planning to leave for an extended period of time, be sure to get in contact with your local post office as they can put a stop to mail delivery until you get back. They can hold mail from 3 to 30 days and in many locations this request can be submitted online. Subscribers to services that do personal deliveries, take the time to give them a call to have it paused.

Organise for a friend to visit your property

Getting a trusted friend or family member to visit your property regularly while you are away is one of the best measures you can take. Getting someone to check in to feed and spend time with your pets, water the plants and put bins out will certainly give the appearance of people living there. Depending on your relationship with your neighbours you could ask them to park their car in your driveway.

Social Media

As hard as it may be to not post your holiday snaps straight away, try not to reveal holiday plans on social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. Even if your settings are set to private, strangers can sometimes see photos through tags and comments so save the holiday posts until you return home.

Timed Lights

Investing in a few timers that turn on interior lights for a few hours each evening is certainly a great way to give the appearance that people are currently home. Also, if you have them, keep sensor lights on and make sure they are aimed correctly so that anyone entering the property will turn them on.

Double Check Locks

Double check all your door and window locks. It’s easy for you to overlook the lock on a spare bedroom window, but thieves usually enter a home through an open door or window. Going around and knowing you’ve checked every lock will give you peace of mind while you’re away.

Consider the Weather at home

Usually before embarking on a trip we will be dreaming of what the weather will be like when we arrive at our destination, however it’s important to think about the weather at home too. Check for anything outside that may blow away or get blown over in gusts of wind, this may mean tying down things like kid’s trampolines and swing-sets and bringing any other smaller items inside while you’re gone.