Whether it’s your summer holiday, or you’re visiting family for Christmas, going away always raises one anxious question: will your home be OK? Christmas, in particular, is a peak time for burglaries. With longer, darker nights, it’s easier to tell if a house is occupied. And it’s easier to hide criminal intent. So, what can you do to keep your home and your possessions safe when you are away from them?
Six Tips for Improving Home Security When You’re on Holiday
1. Lock everything
This might seem fairly obvious. But by locking your doors and windows you’re securing a first line of defence against thieves. Burglaries are often a case of opportunism. Thieves may not have a particular target in mind. They will simply visit a street. Identify any homes that seem unoccupied. And try any easily accessible doors and windows, just in case. If they can’t gain entry the easy way, they’ll often go elsewhere. Locking any possible internal doors and cabinets, can also frustrate potential thieves.
2. Install an alarm system
Whether you have a standard burglar alarm or a monitored system, alarms can be a significant deterrent to would-be thieves. A monitored system will report every alarm trigger to our professional monitoring team, who can assess if there is need for any action to be taken. Or deactivate and reset the alarm remotely if necessary. If you opt for a traditional burglar alarm, it’s important to take precautions to ensure that someone can switch it off and reset it on your absence.
3. Consider security cameras
Obvious external security cameras can not only record the details of any intruders. They can act as a deterrent. No thief wants to be caught on camera. While internal cameras can be used to track and record any suspicious activity – even when your home is occupied and your alarms may not be set. With a monitored CCTV system, you have the benefit of back up should other support ever be required – our team can report fires, or call for an ambulance in the event of a fall.
4. Use smart technology
Most burglars only target empty homes. Using smart tech to activate light switches, radio, or television when you’re away can give the impression of occupancy. Especially if the lights and sounds are on in different rooms at different times of the day.
5. Don’t advertise what you’ve got
If you don’t want people to steal your property, don’t let everyone see that you’ve got it. So, before you go away, put any valuables away too. Even large televisions or desktop computers. It might not be the easiest thing to do. But if there’s nothing obvious to steal, there’s little incentive to break in.
6. Never leave any keys outside
We all know someone who still hides their spare key under the doormat. But even if you’ve got the most ingenious hiding place, you’re asking for trouble. If you’ve asked a friend to water your plants or feed your goldfish, give them a key. If you don’t want to do that for any reason, install a key safe.
Home security can be one of the biggest holiday headaches. But if you take the right precautions, and install the right technology, you can rest safe in the knowledge that your home and its contents are protected.
Get in touch with Securvision to discuss the security solutions available for your home.
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