Going away on a trip? Lucky you. Here are 5 tips for making sure your home is safe while you’re away.
1. Start with the lights. Since many burglars are looking for empty homes, setting lights on a timer while you’re away can really help lower the chances of a break-in. Remember this applies to both outdoor and indoor lights.
2. A stack of newspapers on the porch, or an overflowing mailbox are both big indicators that nobody’s home. Contact the USPS and your local post office will gladly (and safely) hold onto your mail while you’re away. OR, just ask a trustworthy neighbor to pick up any letters, packages, newspapers, and magazines sent to you while you’re away.
3. An unkempt lawn or an un-shoveled driveway are two more clues that burglars might pick up on. Scheduling lawn care and snow removal is a good way to keep the burglars at bay while you’re vacating. If you don’t want to pay for professional service, enlist the help of an entrepreneurial local teen for a fair price.
4. Those first three tips are classics, here’s something a little more modern. We know it’s tempting to update everyone on your social media about the dolphins you swam with, or the lobster you ate, or how deep the snow is on the slopes, but it’s not hard for someone to put together that you being on vacation=you not being home. Even if you think your social media feeds are airtight and secure, the internet works in mysterious ways, and it’s best not to risk it. You’ll just have to wait until you’re back home to reap in those precious likes and comments.
5. The most obvious of them all, and often overlooked. Remember to lock your doors and windows (even the upstairs ones) and to collect any spare keys you have outside (no matter how foolproof your hiding spot may seem).
