How to Keep Your Home Safe While Traveling
It’s no coincidence that FBI statistics indicate there are more home burglaries in the summer than at any other time of the year; that’s when people go on vacation. But you don’t have to let that fact worry you when you travel if you take some basic precautions.
The first and most obvious way you can protect your home is to get a home security service that will monitor for burglary, fire and other hazards that can occur while you’re out of town. Not only will the system detect problems, it will also automatically notify you, the police and/or the fire department that your home needs attention. Having a home surveillance security system can make a world of difference in your comfort when you’re away from home. But you can also do your own personal part to help prevent problems while you’re traveling by following these home security tips:
- Ask your neighbors to collect your mail and any fliers that have been deposited on your front porch. Have them place one of their garbage cans in front of your house on trash collection day and park their car in your driveway on a few of the days you’ll be gone.
- Don’t tell people about your upcoming travel plans in public where you can be overheard by others.
- Don’t hide a key under a doormat, in the mailbox or above a doorway.
- Use a timer to turn on lights, the TV and the radio at random intervals.
- Install motion detector lights around your property. Make sure they’re high enough off the ground so intruders can’t easily disable them.
- Don’t leave a message on your answering machine that indicates you’re out of town.
- Ask the post office to hold your mail until you return.
- Suspend newspaper and water deliveries while you’re gone.
- Don’t leave valuables where they might be seen if someone looks through the windows.
- Unplug all small appliances, such as curling irons, portable heaters, fans and toasters to prevent sparks that cause fires.
- Remove dry leaves and anything else that could catch fire from your home’s rain gutters.
Implementing these suggestions could help you avoid red flags that signal your home is unoccupied to a burglar or keep a fire from happening. So it’s a good idea to print this page and use it as a checklist to prepare before you travel. You never know; it just might save your home.