How to keep your home secure while on holiday

A long trip abroad for weeks and months at a time can be exciting, but there’s often a niggling thought that pops into our heads about how the house is holding up while we’re away. There are ways to make sure it’s safe while on holidays so you come back to a house in the exact same state that you left it. Here’s how to keep your home secure while on holidays.

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1. Keep your holidays private on social media

The build-up of excitement before a big trip away often leads many of us to jump on social media and share the news with the world. But that should be the last thing you do, especially if you want to keep your house as secure as possible while you’re away. Prying eyes might notice that you’re going away, find your address and then take advantage of your home and contents while you’re away.

2. Ask friends or neighbours to keep an eye on the place

No matter how quiet you keep your travel plans, your lawns are going to grow, your mail is going to build up and garbage bins are going to stay put. These are all signs that you’re not home to burglars and could mean your home gets broken into. Instead of leaving your home unattended, a great way to keep your home secure while on holidays is to ask a friend or neighbour to keep an eye on the place and at least take the mail in so it looks like someone is around.

3. Unplug the electronic garage

One simple way for people to break into your home is to open the electric garage with a universal remote control. To stop this from happening, you can unplug your electronic garage and sleep easier knowing that it won’t be so easy for people to make their way into your property.

4. Remove the GPS from the car

If you’ve left your car at a long-term carpark at the airport with a GPS still attached, then you are inviting people to not only break into your car but to also find a map straight to your house. They know that there’s likely nobody home and might just take advantage of your absence.

5. Light switch timer

If you’re going away for weeks or months at a time, then one of the easiest ways to determine whether anyone is home or not is to see if the lights come on and off. If the lights are always off, day and night, or if there is one light that is constantly on, it will be a signal to others that you’re not there. Instead, think about installing a light switch timer. It will automatically turn your lights on and off at set times so it looks like someone is home. A great deterrent for pesky intruders!

6. Stop the newspapers

You don’t want people to see piles of unused newspapers on your front lawn while you’re away now, do you? This is a clear sign that you won’t be home for a while. Instead call up and cancel your subscriptions and ask the local papers to stop delivering papers, too. It’s best to put up a ‘No Junk Mail’ sign on the letter box, to make sure brochures don’t clog up the mailbox, either.

9. Lock away your valuables

If something, heaven forbid, does happen while you’re on holiday, you want to make sure that your most prized valuables are at least locked away, or even better, left with a trusted friend or family member. Your insurance can always cover you for your everyday items, but important mementos and other values cannot, so they are worth protecting. Be sure your insurance is up-to-date, too, you don’t want to be hit with a nasty surprise on your return.

Do you have any other tips about how to secure your home while on holiday? Let us know in the comments section below.