Going on Vacation? Put Your Home in Away Mode
How to keep your home safe from break-ins when you’re away?
If you’re going on your travels, it’s important for you to ensure that your home and your belongings are safe and secure. The key is to not advertise your absence when you’re away to opportunistic burglars. The problem with this is that when you’re not in your home, you’re just not in your home.
Nevertheless, there are still some steps you can take to minimize the risks of a break-in in your home when you’re on vacation.
Don’t brag about your upcoming trip
For obvious reasons, you won’t want everyone to know you’re not home. In most instances, burglaries take place when the culprit knows the property is vacant. For this reason, you shouldn’t give out the details of you leaving with people you don’t count on.
Get a timer switch for your lights
Do you normally keep your lights always turned on when you’re home? Probably not. So if you leave them on when you’re away, it may look suspicious. If you have nobody to turn the lights on and off for you, then you should invest in a timer as it’s a cost-effective and simple alternative. Remember that while a timer is an excellent deterrent from burglars, it can be very difficult to fool someone who is observing your home closely. A few dollars on your electricity bill are definitely worth avoiding a home break-in.
Don’t close the curtains
Similar to lights, if your curtains aren’t being changed regularly from being drawn to undrawn, it could cue the burglar that the home is unoccupied. So should you leave them opened or closed? Surprisingly, it’s best to leave them open as it’d make your home look less ‘closed up’ from outside appearance.
Factor in small details
Small details like unmown grass, leaf buildup on your roof, letters sticking out of the mailbox, a car in the driveway or a big sign asking the delivery driver to drop the packages somewhere else can flag up to anyone driving around hunting for a potential home to break into. It’s in your best interest to ask a friend manage these tasks for you whenever they stop by just so your home looks normal and doesn’t prompt housebreakers.
Keep your valuables safe
Even after your best efforts, if someone did get into your home, you must at least have your most valuable possessions like an expensive artifact, sentimental jewelry or your personal details on the laptop to be safe. You can keep them somewhere they cannot be found or drop them off someplace else for safekeeping.
Remember that your social media account is a window into your personal life. As such, you should stop sharing too much because for an opportunist, even small things can advertise that your home is unoccupied.
If you’re reading this because it’s too late and you’ve had a home break-in, Jenkins can help restore you back to normal.
