Keeping Your Home Safe While on Vacation

The excitement of getting ready for a much needed vacation can often result in you not thinking about the safety of your home while your’re gone. However, home break-ins while you’re on vacation are much more common than you thought. Coming home from a relaxing vacation only to learn something has gone seriously wrong at home can be a real bummer, so here are some tips to keep your home safe while you’re away.

Ask a Friend to Help

While this may seem like a simply way to gain peace of mind, it really is your very best line of defense when it comes to keeping your home safe. Ask a close friend or family member to drive by and check out your home everyday to make sure everything is okay. Give this person a key so they can do the essentials: get the mail, water your plants, rake the leaves, etc. Don’t be a cheapskate and throw this person a few bucks or treat them to dinner when you get back. This ensures they know their help is appreciated, and you can enjoy some peace of mind while away.

Utilize a Light Switch Timer

Leaving your lights will surely discourage any person from choosing to mess with your home, but doing so will leave with an electric bill that will quickly rack up, plus it will definitely look suspicious with the lights on at 3 AM. To get the benefits of a few lights on, purchase a light switch timer that can turn your lights on and off according to a programmed schedule. Anyone keeping an eye on the house will notice your lights going on during a regular time, and will end up assuming someone is home. Check out Amazon for some solid light switch timers to fit your bill.

Don’t Blab on Social Media

Yes, I’m sure you want to tell the world about your upcoming tropical vacation, but your friends aren’t the only ones who are seeing these posts. Your anonymity on the web has greatly diminished no matter how strict your social media profiles are. Keeping silent about your upcoming vacation on social media won’t alert any budding criminals who may be surfing local profiles hoping to find any unwitting families who are going away for a vacation.

Keep a Few Curtains Open

Before going on vacation, most people decide to draw their curtains in order to prevent anyone from looking through your windows. However, all of your curtains drawn throughout your home is a telling sign that you are not home. This can serve as a target for any criminals that may be wanting to break in. The best course of action is to keep your curtains exactly the way same as when you’re home. Just be sure to move any expensive items, like computers or jewelry, out of plain sight so they’re not visible from the windows.

Move that Spare Key

This may seem like an obvious one, but it can be easy to forget about that spare key you have “hidden” under a welcome mat or silly fake rock that isn’t fooling anyone. Before you leave, collect any spare keys you may have out front or back. Remember, burglars may be criminals, but they aren’t dumb when it comes to an ill-placed spare key.

Alert Your Alarm Company

If you have an alarm company, be sure to alert them before leaving for an extended amount of time. Call your representative and be sure they are aware of you being on vacation. This will put them on high alert if there is something that sets your alarm off, as they know you aren’t home.

Lastly, while this doesn’t particularly relate to break ins, it can be a good idea to turn off your main water main to prevent any serious flooding if a plumbing issue occurs. While this will keep your sprinkler system from working, if you’re only gone a few days, your grass will be fine and your home will be protected by any serious water damage.