After spending a long time cooped up in our homes, many of us are looking forward to getting away this summer - whether that be for a domestic break or abroad.
Many of us haven’t been away from our homes for long trips in some time and while it’s exciting, the prospect of leaving your home unattended can cause some nervousness, so it’s important you know how to keep your home as safe and secure as possible.
A team of home security experts from www.Boundary.co.uk have pulled together their top tips on ensuring your home is protected during your first post-COVID trip away:
Be sure to invest in a reliable home security system
You may already have a typical home alarm system installed in your home, and although this can deter some potential thieves, they’ll be able to spot the ones that aren’t as reliable. It’s important that if you’re looking to invest in a home security system, that it provides all-round protection. Look out for systems that have motion sensors, can be controlled with ease through an app (great for if you’re away on holiday) and even those which include automatic police response, which makes it more likely that your intruder will be caught.
Keep your blinds/curtains shut
This might seem a little obvious, however many people tend to leave their curtains and blinds open when they’re away from home to give the illusion their house is occupied. This isn’t necessarily the best idea when all occupants aren’t in the house for a matter of days or even weeks. To keep the prying eyes of unwanted visitors out of your home, ensure to close all blinds/curtains to make your lack of presence a little less clear and the contents of your home out of sight.
Don’t tell everyone you’re going away
Although it’s tempting to share the news of your exciting holiday away with everyone, avoid posting this on social media and only tell those closest to you, people you trust. Again, this may seem an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how many people publicly share their upcoming trip’s location and duration. Doing so means that anyone (especially those looking to burglarize) is able to take advantage of this information. Save your picturesque posts for when you get back.
A flick of a switch
One of the best ways to give the perception as though you’re in your home, is to have your lights on intermittently. We wouldn’t ever advise leaving all of your lights on the whole time you’re away, not just because this would be costly for you but because it’s certainly not eco-friendly either. Instead, invest in some light timers which can be programmed to turn on at certain intervals throughout the day or photosensitive bulbs that switch on when a certain level of darkness is reached. Setting the lights to switch on and off near a front-facing window will put any potential thieves in your area off the scent of burglary, by making them believe someone is at home.
Neighbourhood watch
If you have a friendly neighbour you can trust popping into your home whilst you’re away, we’d definitely advise asking them to regularly check in on your home and keep an eye out for you. This could be from asking them to remove newspapers and post from your doormat (especially if they can be seen through a glass panel) to having access to your garden and watering your plants – all of which would indicate someone was at home and ward off potential unwanted visitors.
It’s time to lockdown
Ensuring you securely lock all access points is the most important way to keep your home safe when you go on holiday, one that many people typically forget to double check. This does not just include door locks, but windows too (even on the upper floors) - these are entry points that potential thieves can quite easily gain access to your home through even if only left slightly ajar. So, keep all windows and doors closed, locked and store the keys in a secure place.
Park it up
If you’re not travelling in your car, ensure to leave it parked on your driveway (assuming you have one) or nearby to your home, because this can be a real deterrent for those unwanted visitors scoping out potential targets. If you’re using your car for your getaway then it’s worth asking a neighbour, friend or relative that lives nearby to park on your drive or close to your home, if possible. Again, this gives the impression someone is at home and will discourage any burglars from breaking into your home.
