Safe Luxury

tips for keeping your home safe while you go on holiday?

Public Comments

1. You mean...you mean.............you can actually AFFORD to go on holiday? I gasp with astonishment. I haven't had a holiday in fifteen years!
2. Ask a trusted neighbour or friend to have a set of keys and go in twice a day at different times (morning/afternoon or eve) to close and open curtains and turn lights on and off.
3. You can buy timer things that you plug your lights into so that they come on and go off at certain times to make it look like you're still there. I would give a key to a neighbour you trust, but don't give them the alarm code. Just give them your mobile number just incase anything happens. Don't leave anything lying out so that burglars can see it. Make sure everything's locked, close all doors, if you have a side gate make sure it's locked. Give another key to a family member who can clear away any post that'll be lying. Have a good holiday.
4. Ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on it for you.
5. dont put it on facebook your going on holiday!
6. Get your neighbours to come into your house every day to check everything is locked, and no one has broken in. and to take letters in. Turn off and unplug all electrical items. turn off electric from mains, turn off gas and water from mains. Get your neighbours to come in and open and close the curtains so people think your still hear, and it's not a sitting house to be burgled.
7. EVERYTHING TURNED OFF Get a neighbour or close friend to open and close your curtains to look asif the house is occupied Don't advertise that you aint there. Get an alarm or make sure yours is working And my fave... they sell little camera things in pound land .. they look like real security cameras but arent.. put on of these in your front window and people will think they are being watched :P
8. NEVER put your home address on your luggage labels when travelling. There are always people at the airports watching for this and as soon as your bags are checked in, they pass on your address to a network of professional burglers. Homes have been burgled before the plane has left the ground.
9. unplug all sockets in the home for less risk of a fire. Have a neighbour or friend visit your home daily to remove mail from the door step that way no one can see you are not there. Use a house alarm and keep car in the garage Cancel all milk/paper deliveries for the week
10. I can see that most people have suggested that the house is visited by a neighbour or relative who lives nearby daily to do the lights and curtains for you. Or if there is no one to trust leave a low wattage bulb on all the time in the hall. There are two sorts of burglars. Opportunity and Stalker. The first, if they know you will be away will take the chance that there might be something to steal, the second knows you have and will be watching the house for other signs. They could be checking your bin to see if it is empty, that nothing extra has been added recently. I put mine in the Garage. If you usually park the car somewhere visible and it is not there, that is another sign. The grass growing longer than you normally allow or the planters are not being deadheaded. So give some thought to that sort of thing. Thoroughly mow and trim just before you leave. If you have valuables in the home it is wise to protect them in your absence by hiding them. Take photos of them to keep too, so that in the worst case, you can show to the police what was taken. It also helps if you need to make an insurance claim. When you have to tell some one you do not know, that you are going on holiday, the taxi driver perhaps who is taking you to the airport or even if you are telling your hairdresser and some one can over hear. Add that your sister or daughter (you choose who) is staying over for the time. To look after pets perhaps. Wave to nobody at the window from the taxi as you leave the house. Water can cause a lot of damage if there is a leak so turn it off. If you are going away in winter set the heating to come on for an hour or so each day to keep the place warm. Fires can happen. You should turn off and unplug every non-essential appliance. If you are considering turning off all the electricity then you can not have a light on, and the freezer better be empty, you may not be able to keep the heating on. Your burglar alarm wont work either Throw out, freeze or compost any food which may rot and get smelly. Close all the internal doors, spray a little fly spray into the room as you go. Pour some disinfectant or bleach into plugholes in sinks, washbasins, baths, showers and the lavatory. You could also leave the telephone off the hook so if any one calls it always sounds engaged. Try and answer e-mails whist away. Some one could e-mail you to check if you are replying. So watch what you say to any one you are unsure of. Hide the keys to the car and parts of the home which are locked. If you keep a spare set of keys for another person, with their name on the key ring, your burglar may be able to get into their house too. Hide any banking details credit debit cards you are not taking with you. Put your name and address on a label inside the lid of your suitcase with the number of some one who can be reached whilst you are away. if the cases are lost, then you can be re-united with them quicker by doing this. Keep a photo copy of your passport. Even scan and keep a copy of it on an e-mail you send to your self, this can be invaluable if it gets lost or stolen whilst you are abroad. Travellers cheques too. The details can be retrieved by you anywhere in the world. When packing suitcases always keep a change of clothes in another persons case, if you can. Bags can be delayed when flying but it is unusual for an entire party to loose all their cases. Best to pack half and half if you are a couple, you can probably manage with half your stuff anyway.