With summer fast approaching and the long six-week school break imminent, many families will have already booked their holiday somewhere hot and offshore. As families focus on planning what activities and sightseeing locations they will indulge in whilst abroad, there is one aspect that needs their careful attention – the security of their home whilst away. If households do not take the adequate steps to ensure their home is protected when away, they could fall victim to a burglary.

Locksmithservice.co.uk has complied easy tips as to how families can protect their home when going on a holiday without breaking the bank balance investing in expensive security technology.

The Obvious

Safeguard the property by locking all windows and doors throughout the house. Don’t forget to do this for the shed as well as garage, if you have one. Once you have done this, make sure you keep the keys hidden somewhere and out of sight (e.g. cupboard, safe, drawers etc).

Driveway

The driveway is usually the first indication of whether someone is at home or not. With this in mind, instead of driving to the airport and parking your vehicle at or near the airport for the duration of the trip, leave your car/cars on the driveway. Instead arrange a taxi service for travelling to and from the airport.

Photo credit: Dom J/Shutterstock 

Regulate Deliveries

If you have daily or weekly deliveries for items such as milk bottles or newspapers, then put them on hold until your back from holiday. Likewise, avoid ordering anything online that might be delivered while you’re away. A rule of thumb would be to stop all online shopping a week before flying, unless you are happy to pay extra for next day shipping facilities. A growing collection of packages or notes left by the post office that they were unable to deliver may indicate you’re away and not returning for a good few days.

Social Media

We live in a highly connected world and naturally we want to document our experiences through images and status’s on different social media platforms. In doing so, it’s easy to forget that you are publicising your home as being unoccupied to strangers who may be able to view your profile publicly. To avoid this, don’t post anything about your trip until your back.

Secure Valuables

Given that most burglar’s motives revolve around obtaining high value goods from properties, you don’t want to make it easy for them to do so. Before going on holiday, don’t leave electronic items such as tablets and smartphones visibly scattered around in different rooms. Instead, keep them out of sight in secure cupboards or drawers. Similarly, with respects to money, jewellery and keys – either keep them locked inside a sturdy safe, with close family/friends or arrange for a deposit safety box with a bank or trustworthy company if the item is of high value.

Photo credit: Twin Design/Shutterstock

Use Timers

For just a few pounds you can purchase quality timers which can be used to turn on and off lamps as well as other electrical devices at certain times throughout the day. This is ideal when abroad, as lights and your TV can be set to come on, thus giving the impression, someone is at home. One important thing to remember is to use the timers strategically. So, don’t use these timers during the day, as lights on may also look suspicious when it is light outside.

Neighbour Awareness

If you have a good relationship with one of your neighbours, then make them aware of your upcoming holiday. Provide them with a spare set of keys and ask them if they could kindly check up on your house every other day to ensure everything is fine. Also ask them to move any mail away from the letterbox and park the car in different positions on the driveway.