Tips for Keeping Your Home Safe While on Vacation

Once the long-awaited holiday comes, it is easy to plan for everything else and forget to secure your home. There is a possibility of getting too absorbed in packing, paying for your accommodation and rental car, and planning your vacation activities, while forgetting the security of your property while away. 

Can you imagine your valuables, including your brand-new kitchen cabinets, being carted away by burglars? It would be extremely shocking to come home from a relaxing vacation only to be welcomed by an empty house! To enjoy peace of mind while on vacation, take some of the following measures to keep your abode safe.

1. Install a Monitored Security System 

A monitored security system is always a reliable precaution, whether at home or away. Most modern homeowners opt for smart security systems remotely connected to their cell phones. They work effectively for as long as you can access your cell phone. 

However, smart security systems might become ineffective if you are going on vacation in a remote destination where cell phone network coverage might be weak. In such cases, a monitored security system will be the most practical in offering your home the necessary first line of defense to check if all your house doors, windows and other potential entrances are locked and intact.

A monitored security system comes with sensors that can detect the slightest movement or whenever your windows or doors are opened. Consequently, the alarm is activated, notifying the entire neighborhood and probably scaring away the potential thief. Your alarm company will also get a message instantly, and if they suspect a breach of security, they will alert the police. 

 2. Engage a Trusted Person to Check out Your Home Regularly. 

If you have a trusted family member, a neighbor, or a friend, request them to check out your house regularly to ensure that your property is safe. Each time they visit, they need the keys to allow them into the house to check whether all the house doors, windows, and other exits remain uncompromised. 

If you haven’t requested the mail service to pause, the trusted person can pick it up and help with other small chores like watering your plants or even replenishing your milk stock in readiness for your return. 

 3. Pause the Mail and Other Regular Delivery Services 

If you don’t have a trusted person who can be picking your mail regularly, ask your mail service providers to halt their services temporarily until you are back home. You can easily do this by filling out a simple online form, after which they will pause the delivery of mail to your address until you return from your vacation. If you have plans to stay away for longer periods, you should halt all other regular delivery services to your home, including all monthly subscriptions. 

 4. Make Your Home Look like Someone Still Lives There 

To avert any break-ins, make it appear like someone still lives in your home. Adjust the timers for your lights, televisions, and radios to turn on automatically at specific times in the mornings and evenings. Similarly, engage someone to come in and give your grass a fresh cut, clean your home, clean your yard or park their car in your driveway. They could also inspect your house doors and other points of entry including your yard while being at your home. You can also position your window blinds and curtains the way you usually do them to give the impression that someone is home. 

 5. Be Careful With What You Post On Social Media 

Most people cannot avoid the temptation of sharing lovely photos or details of their exotic vacation destination on popular social media platforms. Your intention might be to make some of your friends go green with envy when they see the breath-taking beaches in your holiday destination. However, you might inadvertently end up alerting potential burglars that you are in a distant location, far away from home, hence giving them ideas. You must avoid sharing your trip details publicly until you return home. 

6. Move Your Spare Key Away from Its Normal Hiding Place 

Besides placing them over the house doors frame, underneath a flowerpot, or under a fake rock, many people have creative places where they hide their spare keys. However, you cannot be sure that nobody knows your secret hiding place. To be safe, pull out the key and hand it over to a neighbor for safekeeping. 

7. Don’t Forget To Lock Up All Your Doors And Windows

When you are super excited and in a hurry to go on your well-deserved vacation, you might accidentally leave some entries to your house unsecured. Such openings may include mail slots or pet doors. 

To prevent burglars from reaching in and attempting to unlock the main doors from within, you need to ensure such openings are fully secured before you leave. Installing smart locks can also come in handy to lock your doors remotely using your mobile phone in case you forget to lock any of them before you leave. 

Conclusion 

To enjoy a peaceful and memorable vacation, ensure you put enough preventive measures in place to keep your home fully secured for the period you will be away. It might be simple actions like asking a neighbor to pop in regularly to pick up your mail or going all out and installing a sophisticated security system. Whatever steps you take to keep your home safe will give you sufficient peace of mind during your vacation.