15 Important Tips To Protect Your Home While You’re Away on Vacation
Many families plan their vacations around the summer school break. If your vacation will take you away from your home for more than a long weekend, please consider these tips.
1. The key to protecting your home from burglars is to make it appear as if you’ve never left.
• Either stop your mail and newspaper or make arrangements for someone to take them in
• Postpone any parcel deliveries until after your return
• Have someone mow the lawn
2. Enlist the neighbors! Ask them to park in your driveway and don’t forget to provide them with:
• House keys
• Alarm codes
• Keys to any cars left at home
• Emergency contact information
Ask them to watch your home & take care of small tasks such as:
• Taking in flyers or door hangers left on the front porch
• Opening and/or closing drapes and curtains
• Checking for phone messages
• Placing your garbage can at the curb on garbage pickup day
3. Alert the police department & if you have a security system, notify your alarm company that your home will be unoccupied. Display a sign or sticker of your security company.
4. Set up timers to lamps & a radio. Schedule them so that the lights & sounds mimic your normal routine.
5. Disconnect small appliances, computers, televisions & media centers to protect them from power surges.
6. Turn off the water to the washing machine & any other appliances as appropriate.
7. Check that the toilets are not running water.
8. Adjust the thermostat for the house & water heater.
9. Turn down the ringers on the phones.
10. Do not change the greeting on your answering machine to reflect that you’re away.
11. Lock up valuables, important papers & firearms.
12. Leave the curtains open but be sure to move expensive items out of sight of the windows.
13. Remove any hidden keys until you return from vacation.
14. Double check locks on all doors & windows, including the door to the attached garage.
15. Don’t forget the social media!
• Don’t use social media to announce to the world that you’re on vacation – caution your family that they should not include any discussion of their pending vacation in their online chatter
• Don’t change your status to reflect that you are away & don’t upload vacation pictures until your return
Are there any tips we didn’t include? Please tell us in the comments below.
