5 Tips to Keep Your Home Safe While You’re Away

The following article is a collaborative post. 

Going away on holiday: it’s one of the most exciting times of the year! You work hard all year long to ensure that you, your partner and the kids have the holiday that they deserve as well as the opportunity to make some incredible memories that you’ll all cherish forever. We’re all often so excited to get to the airport and worrying about leaving one of the passports behind, that we often neglect the security of our homes.  A few easy steps can keep your home safe when traveling.

Imagine coming home after a wonderful holiday, only to discover that your home has been broken into? It’s the stuff of nightmares. But don’t worry. Here I’ve put together a collection of simple and straightforward home security tips that could potentially help prevent a break in.

Give a warning

We’re used to seeing signs around us, more or less everywhere we go. From no parking signs to keep off the grass signs, even beautiful house name or number plaques. But did you know that you can use signage to your advantage? Investing in a couple of signs from things like CCTV in operation to Beware of the Dog, could be enough to make any potential thief or opportunist, think twice before they start snooping around your property. Signage is also a budget friendly way to boost the security around your property, so give it a try.

Tell your neighbours

Letting your neighbours know that you’re going to be away for a couple of weeks will mean that any strange behaviour around your property will hopefully raise a red flag for them. If you let them know how long you’ll be away for and keep them in the loop if you have a window cleaner or gardener popping round whilst you’re away, that way they’ll know what is normal and what is suspicious.

Install some lights

Thieves don’t like to be in the spotlight, so a dark house with plenty of hiding places is the perfect opportunity for any burglar. Install some garden lighting – solar is best – and maybe even consider installing a couple of wall lights on either side of your front door. You can also pick up a motion sensor light for a cheap price and you can always put timers on your lights inside your property to give the impression that someone is home.

Check your doors and windows

It sounds obvious, and you might think that thieves couldn’t possibly get into your home through windows on the upper floors, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Make sure that you’ve checked all your doors and windows well in advance of the date you’re leaving. If locks need replacing then do so as soon as possible or speak to your local locksmith about installing a deadbolt on your front and back doors.

Out of sight

Keep your blinds half closed while you’re away and items like laptops, cameras, TVs, and smart devices out of sight. Lock them away in cupboards or drawers and that goes for your car keys too.