Soon, Halloween will have come and even go and you will be into November. You know what that means? We will be in holiday season and for most people, chaos if they are at home or on the road this year. Of course you will remember to get your vehicle serviced, put a hold on the gym membership and reschedule your hair appointment while you are on vacation, but you don’t want to forget about keeping your home safe.
Home security calls for preparation and putting preventative measures to curb break ins. Of course home security has to start with you because you are the only one who knows your home better. Below are some tips to help you ensure that your home is safe while you are away:
Locks
Double check your door and window locks to ensure that they are all functional and in good working condition. If they are not, have them replaced right away. Locking your windows and doors is the most important thing you can do to your property because break-ins nowadays don’t even require the use of force. Don’t forget about the pet doors, garage doors and utility doors. Fix them if they are faulty to have a peace of mind while you are away. When you leave your home, make sure that you lock up the door that leads from the garage to inside because this may be the easiest entry to your home.
Valuables
All valuables should be placed in a safe that no one can remove from the home. A safety box is a better option because even if burglars find their way to your rooms, they can’t take your valuable items away. If you are not sure about where to place your valuable things, take them to a trusted family member.
Lights
Creating an illusion of your presence while you are away is very important. Leave a few lights on and some shades open. Your house should not look locked up with no shades open or lights on; it will scream that you are out of town to burglars. You can also install timers on outside lights in order to discourage robbers. If lights keep coming on and off, a person with bad intentions won’t even think of touching your main gate.
Your vehicle
If you are intending to leave your car behind, make sure that you leave it outside of the garage. This creates the illusion that someone is at home. You can choose to leave it near the start of your driveway because this discourages people who pretend that they are parking there while casing your home.
Keep the normal services going on
If you get your lawn done every three weeks, keep it that way. Things will look to be in normal order; hence thieves are less likely to set their foot on your home. The same should happen to your pool service; have them keep coming as usual. You can also arrange for someone to keep an eye on your home while you are away. But it is prudent to use someone you can trust especially if you will be out of town for an extended period of time. A neighbor or relative can report to you or a security company if they see anything suspicious. And getting police help is very important; they can stop crime before it actually happens. If you are going away make sure that you inform the police so that they can drive by your home to check on things. And this is a better way to prepare before you go on vacation.
Police help
Apart from informing police about your vacation plans and your property concerns, it is also very important to take advantage of the recent police practices – community policing. Here, officers will be assigned to specific neighborhoods where they take more efforts to build good relationships with neighbors there. You will get to know the officers who patrol your area and this can really help when it comes to reducing crime rates in your neighborhood.
Be careful where you are broadcasting your travels
Although it is important to get people to watch out for you while you are away, it is also very important to pay attention to what you are doing prior to the travels. You don’t want to roll out a red carpet for thieves to waltz through the front door; keep your identity as well as any travel plans on the down low. Don’t go shouting out about your vacation plans on social media sites because a sinister guy may take note of it for their own good reasons. Simply don’t showboat around!
Express Locksmith knows too well the importance of home safety. We specialize in taking care of your security needs by installing door locks and advanced alarm systems. Talk to us today for your home security needs, we will be pleased to work with you.