Ten Tips for Keeping Your Home Safe While Away
If you are going away you need to put in place ways to keep your home safe and secure. Be organised and apply a few simple tips to keep your home safe while you are away. Installing security doors will keep your home secure as well as having security screens on all of your windows.
Neighbours
Asking your neighbours to keep an eye on your place while you are away is a great idea. They can collect your mail for you, mow your lawn if you are going to be away for a while and even park one of their cars in your driveway so it looks like somebody is home.
Lights
Buy timers for your lights for inside your home and also for your front porch light. Have them come on at a certain time in the evenings and switch off at a reasonable time, say around ten o’clock so it looks like someone is home.
Have your mail stopped at the post office while you are away if you don’t want the neighbour to collect it for you. This way all your mail will be sitting waiting for you at your local post office when you get home.
Security Alarm
A security alarm will go off if it senses any movement in your house. It will alert the neighbours and the noise will cause the intruder to get out as fast as possible, hopefully stopping them from taking any of your possessions or giving them no time to do any damage. The security company will be alerted and they will send round the police to investigate.
Security Doors
A security door will give you the flexibility of being able to keep your front door open but the security screen locked which is great when you go to answer the door to strangers. It will also make it a lot harder to break in.
Security Screens
Intruders are just as likely to break in through your windows so install security screens and solve the problem. You will still be able to open your windows to let the cool breeze in during summer and you will also be able to see out your windows.
Tidy Up
Keep the front of your house tidy. Either ask your neighbour if they mind mowing your front lawn for you when they do their own, of course returning the favour when they go away, or even hire a gardening service. If the grass is overgrown it will look like nobody is around.
House Sitter
A good way to keep your home safe is to hire a house sitter. You may even have a friend or family member that is looking for a place to stay in the short term.
Guard Dog
If you have a guard dog or a larger dog you might want to leave it at home in your back garden rather than having it stay at the kennels while you are away. Either have a neighbour or family member come and look after it or pay a dog walker, who will feed it and even take it for a walk for you too.
Fence
If you go away a lot you might want to think about having a high wall or fence erected around your home which will make it difficult for anyone to break in or to get out with any of your belongings.
