Summer is the best time for long vacations, visiting friends and fun outdoor activities. It is also the ideal time for burglars. There is a lot that goes into planning your vacation. Burglars are equally hard at work, thinking of how they will make an easy entry in your home. While it is difficult to know whether your home will be targeted when on vacation, you should always have a plan to protect your home from an invasion before you leave.
To help you start your summer vacation right, here are a few home safety tips. These tips won’t only ward off any unwelcome guests but will also give you the peace of mind you deserve while you are away.
Talk to your neighbor
Tell your neighbor you are going away and ask them to watch your property. If you trust them enough, leave them a key they can use to enter your home in case of an emergency or even turn the lights on and off periodically.
Don’t forget to keep track of all your keys to make sure that they are in safe hands. Preferably, refrain from hiding your keys outdoors and try to carry them with you.
Lock up everything
Ensuring that all your locks are in good working order is an effortless but important task in preventing burglary.
Before you depart, make sure that all windows, doors and sliding doors are locked. Seems obvious to many, but hey, it’s these small things that we tend to forget most.
If possible also make sure you reinforce the doors with a deadbolt for maximum protection. Don’t make it easy for opportunistic burglars and you will have a high chance of finding your house in the same condition that you left it in.
Mail delivery
Nothing can tip off burglars that you are away more than a pilling up mailbox and newspapers on your front door. While it is easier to ask your mail and newspaper delivery to stop delivering temporarily, this can also give you away. Having no mail or newspaper deliveries in a home is a clear sign that no one is at home.
Have a friend or a neighbor whom you can trust to collect your mail when you are away. This will help you avoid having an overflowing mailbox or newspapers littering your front door.
Secure your windows
Most burglars find it easy to break into houses through windows than doors. Why would they even try your reinforced doors while there are windows they can easily smash and break in?
Here are two ways you can outsmart intruders who use windows to break in a home:
- Install security bars to prevent window break-ins. Metal window bars have always proved effective in barring out intruders. They are inexpensive and customizable to suit your window sizes. When installing metal bars, make sure that you leave one window for emergency purposes.
- Cover your windows with a tinted security film. Window security films are important for two reasons. One, they help to reinforce your window glasses, making them harder to shatter after being smashed.
They also stop the prying eyes from the wannabee burglars looking into your house.
Avoid announcing your absence on social media
Refrain from broadcasting about your vacation on any social media platform such as Facebook. You never know who’s reading your posts.
We all do understand how excited you might be to share your pictures while enjoying yourselves on the beach. But always remember, sharing your whereabouts with everyone is a quick give away, especially for anyone following you closely.
It makes sense to update your social media accounts with your beautiful beach pictures once you are back home safe. This way, you are not only going to be security conscious but will also have enough time to respond to all the exciting comments about those vacation pictures.
The less information you share about your whereabouts, the less likely it gets to the wrong eyes and ears.
Get a proper security system
Having the proper security system to monitor suspicious movement and burglary activity can help keep your home safe and secure. Get a security system that will allow you to control your house and outdoor lighting to help you discourage all night time intruders.
However, if your budget doesn’t allow for such a security system, be creative. There are plenty of options that you can get to keep your house unattractive for intruders. You can look for cheap window alarms and motion detectors.
Conclusion
Don’t allow the anticipation of your long-awaited vacation lead you to leave the safety of your home in the hands of fate. Use the above tips to keep your home safe during your summer getaway.
