As holiday time draws near, your excitement mounts as you prepare for your travels and look forward to all the places you want to see. But amidst all this excitement, discover how to secure your home when travelling, because nothing would spoil a good holiday more than coming home and finding that you’ve been burgled. By ticking off the items on our home security checklist, you can ensure your home will be safe while you’re away.
1. Check Your Locks
First and foremost, you want to check all your locks to ensure they’re in good working order, including those on your garage and garden shed. To make sure you have a secure garage, unplug the automatic opener so it can’t be operated with a universal remote.
2. Don’t Forget Your Window Locks
Window locks can sometimes be overlooked when you’re securing your home, so make sure you check them, lock them with a key and then hide the keys in a safe spot inside. If any of your windows don’t have locks, now’s a good time to have them installed. In fact, it’s a good idea to contact your local residential locksmith and get smart locks to replace all your window & door locks for added security.
3. Secure Your Sliding Doors
Often sliding door locks can be easily opened. Consider installing a patio bolt to improve security. We have a wide range to suit both aluminum & timber sliding doors.
4. Give Your Spare Key To A Trusted Friend For Safekeeping
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t hide your spare key around your home if you’re going to be away. It’s much safer to leave it with a trusted friend or neighbour. You might even want to get a spare key cut to give to a second person who you trust to check on your house while you’re travelling.
5. Lock Away Your Valuables
Don’t leave valuables in easy-to-find places. Either put them in the safe, if you have one, or hide them somewhere that no one would think to look.
6. Hold The Mail
Although it’s not all that common nowadays to receive physical mail in the letterbox, you might still end up with leaflets and junk mail. Ask a neighbour to collect this for you daily, if possible.
7. Invest In An Electronic Security System
If you don’t have a home electronic security system with sensor lights, alarms and a CCTV camera, it might be wise to consider investing in one now before you head off.
8. Advertise Your Home Security
Make sure you place security stickers on your windows, especially those next to your front and back doors and those that face the street. These are often enough to deter would-be intruders.
9. Enlist The Help Of A Local Gardener
If you’re away for weeks, an overgrown garden signals intruders you’re not home. Ensure your garden stays tidy during long trips by hiring a local gardening service.
10. Don’t Forget About Your Rubbish Bins
It’s common for burglars to stake out the streets in your neighbourhood and they’ll often take note when bins are not put out for a couple of weeks. To overcome this, ask one of your neighbours to put one of your bins out on collection day and bring it back in again.
11. Automate Your Lights
It’s not that difficult to connect your interior lights to an automatic timer. You can set the timer to turn the lights on during the evening when you would normally be at home. But vary the timing from day to day. Better still, get an app on your phone so you can do this remotely.
12. Consider A House Sitter
For extended travels, you might like to consider a house sitter so your home is lived in while you’re away. This could just be a close friend who would enjoy a change of scenery or you can find lots of house-sitting services online.
Contact Us – Amalgamated Locksmiths
Follow these security tips to enjoy your holiday with peace of mind. Rest assured, your home will stay secure.
But, if you have any doubts about your home security, don’t hesitate to phone us at Amalgamated Locksmiths. We’d be more than happy to do a security audit and let you know if there’s anything that you missed.