Approximately 60% of burglaries occur then there is no one at home. If you are going away for an extended period of time, you need to be extra hot on your home security, to avoid any nasty surprises when you arrive home.
We are going to run through a list of things you should check before you jet off abroad. They may seem obvious, but it is always useful to have a checklist in one place, so you can run through the points before you leave the house.
Holiday Checklist
Tell:
- You may want to tell trusted neighbours, or family or friends, that way they can keep an eye on your property, and alert the police or yourself if they see anything suspicious.
Arrange:
- For someone to pop in each day, perhaps to water the plants or keep an eye on the cat.
- A plug timer, you can use this to turn the lights on and off periodically to give the illusion that someone is home.
- To leave one of your cars in your driveway. If you want to go one step further, you can give a friend a key so they can move the car around a little bit.
Lock:
- Make sure all garden or DIY tools are locked away, not only will this prevent them from being stolen, but it can also deter opportunist thieves from using them to break into your property.
- All outbuildings and garages should be locked.
- Garden furniture and fittings such as BBQ’s should be stored away, if you have space.
- If you have a key safe, or a key hidden in a ‘safe space’, ensure this is taken out for the duration of your holiday, you don’t want anyone to find it.
- Remove any items of value from your car, it is not just your home you want to protect.
- Most crucially, make sure all doors and windows are locked. Check and double check this.
