Tips to Keep Your Home Safe While You Are Away on Vacation
-Write up an itinerary of where you will be and the dates you will be gone. Be sure to include phone numbers you can be reached at in case of an emergency. Then make a couple copies and give them to a neighbor you know and trust. Give another copy to a family member or another friend. That way you will be doubly protected.
-Leave a house key with someone you trust, just in case they need to get in the house for you.
-If you are not taking the car, leave them a car key too. If you don't park in a garage, purchase a safety device to lock your steering wheel while you are away.
-Arrange with the post office to hold mail deliveries. They have forms you can fill out telling them when to stop deliveries and when to begin them again.
-If you have newspapers delivered to your home, make sure you call the newspaper and arrange for no deliveries on the days you are gone. Old newspapers, piled up outside of your home, are a sure sign no one is home.
-One alternative to the mail and newspaper delivery, is to have someone come over daily and bring in the mail and newspapers.
-Close your curtains so no one can look in. It is much more difficult for a possible intruder to tell if someone is actually in the house or not, if they can't look in the windows.
-Purchase a few light timers to set in a different rooms around the house. Set them to go on and off at random times. Even of your curtains are closed, light can be seen around the edges of the curtains.
-Don't waste unnecessary electricity when you aren't even there. Unplug things like microwaves with clocks, computers, and other items that are not needed while you are away.
-Double check all your windows and doors, even the smallest ones. Make sure they are locked and secure. If you do not have safety locks on your window, consider installing some. A simple and less expensive alternative is to buy doweling and cut it in pieces that fit in the window grooves, to prevent someone from sliding them open. Consider installing deadbolt locks for outside entrance doors.
-If you have alarms for fire and burglary, make sure they are set properly and turned on. If you have a security company, notify them that you will be away.
-Turn your answering machine on so you don't miss important messages. If you have that option, make sure you retrieve them while you are gone, so the message box doesn't get filled up.
-Adjust your heater or air conditioner settings for the time you are away. If you live in snowy climates, during the winter do not turn the heater off completely. If you are leaving pets in your home for someone to take care of, make sure you take them into consideration when adjusting the temperature settings. You want them to be comfortable while you are away.
-Arrange for pet care of you have pets you are leaving at home. Sometimes animals are more comfortable in their home environment ,than at a kennel or someone else's home. If you are having someone come into your home to take care of pets, you might have them bring in the mail and papers, if you opt not to stop deliveries.
-Empty your garbage cans and clean out perishables from your refrigerator. You don't want to come home to rotten smells. Give anything that is still good, but won't be the by the time you get back. to a neighbor or friend.
-Keep areas around windows and entryways clear of excess plant growth. Keeping bushes and plants trimmed allows neighbors to see if any intruders are lurking near your home.
-Don't leave spare keys hidden in obvious places, like under door mats and in front door planter boxes.
-Don't talk about being gone on vacation out in public places before you leave. Anyone listening could pick up on that information.
-Consider joining a neighborhood watch program, so more eyes are looking out for your home while you are away at any time. This is a good program for all times, not just while you are away on vacation.
You want to come home to find everything safe and secure. These tips to prepare your home for vacation will help reduce your worry while you are away and help to ensure your home and belongings are protected.
Published by Laurie Meekis
I am very pleased to have earned the top 1,000 content producers badge three years in a row on Associated Content. Many of my articles and writings here are available for reprint. For those and other writin... View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentGood tips. I learned a few of these from my dad.
The most important tip is the one about keeping the windows clear of plants growth. Adequate cover for crooks to check out the house is one of the main factors used in deciding which homes to hit.
I also had a neighbor pick up my mail and newspapers so that they wouldn't build up. Good article.
We keep our curtains and blinds closed all the time anyway. Great advice! When we recently went on vacation, we actually did alot of this stuff. And I cleaned the house until it was spotless so I wouldn't have to do it when I got home. I knew I would be drained from the trip, but it was SOOOO nice to come home to a clean house!! Plus, it might make it easier to tell if someone has been in there snooping through your stuff.
a policeman told me the curtain thing a long time ago. I guess it just depends on how you do things normally too, if someone is casing the neighborhood and sees changes. I hate people peering in.
Great timing! This will be very useful as we all go on our vacations. Thanks for the information.
All good tips except the police actually advise against closing all the curtains- dead giveaway that no one's inside.