5 Ways to Improve Your Home Security Before Vacation
In the week or two leading up to when we’re scheduled to start our much-needed vacation, there’s plenty to be accomplished, especially if you’re traveling for a prolonged time or with kids. Of course, with so many things that need to be taken care of, it’s natural that you’ll overlook some items. But, unfortunately, of the many things that can be forgotten, the security of your home should not be among them.
If you’ve got a home security alarm, you’re getting off to a great start (as you remember to switch it on!). We’ve got five other ways to protect your home from falling victim to thieves looking for their successive big win.
1. Ensure the Doors and Windows
Any day as you go out of your house, it’s likely that you don’t double (or triple) look at your doors and windows to ensure they’re secured. This is because there’s a chance you’ll be back sometime later during your day. However, if you’re on vacation for a prolonged duration, you should make sure you take a moment before leaving to ensure that the access points are secured securely.
If you look over the locks, you’re probably not going to be having an anxiety attack when you return from your vacation since you don’t know whether the basement door was closed. However, if you’d like to give yourself greater security, you could place something such as a dowel, Broomstick, or a 2×4 over the door tracts or window to ensure the door or window isn’t able to open.
2. Stop the Email
You don’t need to be a genius to understand that if you see a pile of newspapers in your driveway, your mailbox is full of mail and packages placed on the stoop so that you see that no one is at home. But, more importantly, these are apparent signs that nobody has been home in a long time and thus make your home an ideal target for burglars.
Please do yourself a favor and ask someone to collect your deliveries and mail them when you’re away. Or, contact the post office to ask them to place an order on mail delivery until you get home. Don’t be that homeowner who is off for an extended time, only to return home to find a pile of mail laying out in the open and an unoccupied house.
3. Make Sure the Lights are on.
The experienced burglars understand that we tend to be habitual. When they spot a possible threat, they’ll set up camp outside of the home and watch the family’s movements and goings. They don’t just look at the mailbox to see if it is getting delivered and spot that the lights are switched on and which rooms are lit. They utilize all this data to figure out the most appropriate time to start the strike.
Keeping the routine running when you’re away is difficult, but it’s not complicated. You can get intelligent outlets and place them on a schedule that resembles your daily routine. For example, do you typically spend your evenings watching TV in your bedroom? Do you have the TV connected to a smart plug, and choose a timer. It is possible to do this across your home if you wish.
4. Be careful not to disclose too many personal details on the internet.
More than 70% of home burglaries are carried out by someone that the homeowner is familiar with and trusts. It is possible to trust your family members entirely If you publish information about your trip on the internet… It’s just that you aren’t sure who could read the information and then attempt to break into your home. It’s possible that the people you have on your friends’ list can be trusted and won’t be a threat. However, it’s safer to be secure rather than risk being sorry!
5. Take the Key-Lock-Hide Inside the Home
It’s not uncommon for homeowners to keep an extra key inside a safe place; We all forget often! But if you’re going to be away for an extended time, be sure you keep the key inside for the duration. Burglars have a good idea of the typical hiding places and seek out spare keys. If they can locate one, it’s like you won the lottery since they’re able to enter without making a fuss.
