Are you going away for the holidays? Keep your home safe with these tips

The holiday season is very attractive to burglars, because they know a lot of homes will be left unattended and up for grasp. And the last thing you want ruining your vacation is finding out that your house was robbed.

That doesn’t mean you can never leave your home. All you have to do is take a few extra security measures. Here are the most important of them:

• If you can, leave someone in charge. It could be your pet sitter, a friend, relative, neighbor, etc. If they are trustworthy and available, they can even live in your home until you get back. This way there’ll be enough action to keep burglars away
• Don’t brag around, especially online, that you are leaving for holidays. Keep the posts on Instagram, Facebook and so on to a minimum. This could act like an open invitation to a heist
• Keep your lights on during nighttime, to make it seem like you are home. That doesn’t mean you have to overcharge your electric bill. You can buy a timer and set it so that the lights will only switch on at night
• Inform your security provider that you will be away, specify the period and ask them to monitor your house. Also make sure that your security system works properly, the alarm is on and everything is fully functional
• Double check the locks and windows before you leave. This might seem like an obvious one, but estimates show that in more than 60% of the cases, people get robbed because they have faulty locks and loose windows that can easily be opened
• Even if you do have a solid security system, you should still lock all your valuables (money, jewelry, etc.) in a safe. And even when you are not away, you should protect and conceal your most valuable possessions and never store them in visible places (near the windows and so on)
• Stop your mail, newspapers and any other home deliveries for the period of time that you’re away. A pile of letters and magazines that are not picked up for days are a clear indication that you are not home and robbers can easily pick up on that too
• Don’t keep any spare key outside, especially in the common places: above the door frame, under a rock, the doormat or a flowerpot
• Keep your front door as visible as possible, don’t block the view with any flowerpots, plants, etc. This will make it harder for any intruders to sneak in and go unnoticed
• In case you don’t have a dog or you’re taking him with you on vacation, you should install a ‘dog alarm’ to go off anytime someone approaches the entrance. Burglars or any other unwanted intruders will usually back off if they think there’s a dog on the premises
• Don’t pull the drapes while you are away. If you normally keep your blinds open, leave them like that even when you’re not home. You want to do everything you can to prevent your home from appearing unattended.