The school summer holidays are finally here and for many of us that means time for a well-deserved week or two away. While your thoughts may be firmly on getting ready for your holiday, don’t forget to protect your home while you are away. Here’s our top tips for keeping your home safe while you are away:
- Don’t brag about your holiday on social media
As tempting as it may be to share every moment of your holiday with your social followers, it takes just a few clicks for opportunist thieves to work out where your empty property is located and break in while you are away. Share your holiday snaps when you are safely back home.
2. Hide away valuables
Opportunists will always take a quick look through windows, so tuck any valuables out of sight or pass them to a friend or relative to look after during your absence.
3. Leave curtains open and set timer lights in different rooms
Create the impression that you are still around by using a couple of timer lights in different rooms. This costs far less than leaving a light in permanently and lighting up different rooms can be a good point of confusion for potential thieves. Leave a car on the drive if you can.
4. Work with your neighbours
Agree a plan with your neighbours to look after each other’s properties when you are away. Small tasks such as putting the bins out, emptying the letterbox and letting them use your drive, go a long way to making it look like you are still around.
5. Lock everything up
Failing to lock windows and doors can invalidate your home insurance if you are burgled. Lock all windows and doors and check your policy to ensure what needs to be done to qualify for a claim. For example, if your policy states that you have a house alarm, check it is working and set it before you go away.
