Holiday season is finally here and whilst the weather has been reasonable over recent weeks, you’ll probably still be jetting off for some mid-summer sun somewhere a little less humid. There’s nothing worse than spending your holiday worried about what you might come home to, but there is plenty that you can do to ensure your property isn’t vulnerable to damage or intruders whilst you’re away enjoying some well-earned sun and sangria.
Is anyone home?
Most break-ins and burglaries happen when the intruder believes no one is home. The trick there is to make sure it looks like your home is occupied. Setting timers to ensure lights come on in the evening to keep your property lit up at night is one way around this, you could even set a radio to turn on so there is some talking and background noise coming from your property.
Also, try to postpone any deliveries for when you return home if there’s a build-up of newspapers coming out of your letterbox it could be an obvious sign to a potential burglar that no one is home.
Avoid temptation
Before you leave the house to jet off, make sure to have a final check around your house to ensure that there’s nothing tempting in the windows. If you have a computer perhaps try shutting the curtains of that room – ultimately anything that you think could be seen as a temptation to someone peeking through your windows. If you can, store away your valuables well out of sight, under a bed, in a wardrobe or in the loft are some of the best places to hide away your gems and jewels!
The nosey neighbour
We all have someone on our street that knows everyone and everything. That nosey neighbour may actually be one of your best assets when you’re on holiday, no doubt they will have seen you leave for the airport and it’s likely they would notice anything out of the ordinary on the street or around your property, you might even want to let them know you’ll be away so they can pay extra attention!
Security!
If you’ve got a house alarm then ensure that it is properly set before you leave your house, if it isn’t set and you get burgled, you might actually find your insurance will be void and you won’t receiving a pay-out for anything that is missing. Also ensure your outdoor security lights are working, a well-illuminated house is much less attractive than somewhere with dark places to lurk at night.
Lock it up
Locking your house is no doubt a priority when you leave, it’s best to make your home as secure as possible so locking windows, doors and shutting internal doors will help to make your home secure. Also remember to lock sheds and padlock gates to ensure that no part of your property can be targeted.
