Happy holidays include securing your home
With the holiday season upon us (not that you’d think it with the weather) a lot of us will be leaving behind our empty houses to fend for themselves while we go off and enjoy ourselves. So although we don’t want to have to worry about practical things while packing our sun cream it is a good idea to make sure we take a few precautions to ensure there’s no unwanted visitors while we’re away. So here are a few simple No Nonsense tips to think of before you get into that taxi to the airport:
- Clean your house before you leave! No it’s not because you’d be mortified if a burglar saw it dirty, it helps you methodically check stuff off your list of …hide, remove, lock up, take with, give to neighbour etc.
- Secure your valuables properly. Use a safe if you have it, don’t just close all blinds, that’s too obvious, so if some blinds are open, don’t have valuables visible (as much as you want to impress the neighbours) , hide, move, remove.
- Make your home seem inhabited… Timer on some lamps, (but keep away from anything flammable!!)….if you can leave a car at the house, maybe get a friend to drop in, to move the car a few times, or bins or roll some blinds up or down. Change is good and will unnerve someone who is watching the house.
- Lock your doors, windows, and anything else your can. Don’t leave out lawnmowers, bikes etc either. Lock up the garage and sheds too.
- Turn your thermostat down, just not to much, frost shouldn’t be an issue this time of the year (although with hailstones yesterday who knows?), but it’ll keep the house ticking over and you’ll have hot water when you get back.
- Prepare yourself and your stuff early before travel. If you rush you will leave something on/open etc.
- Don’t put out of town messages on voicemail or answer machines (no matter how much you want to make anyone who calls jealous), or your door e.g. cancel milk, papers and ask a neighbour to pull any big post items such as magazines out of your letterbox!!!
- Make sure your alarm company contacts are aware, and not on holidays with you!!! And are available specifically and quickly while you are away.
- Unplug what you don’t need on (do you really need to leave the digital TV box plugged in to record your favourite programmes?)
- For gods sake…no keys under mats (you’d be surprised).
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