Locksmiths Newcastle / Lake Macquarie

How to Properly Secure Your Home During Holidays

How to Properly Secure Your Home During Holidays

Certain preparations are needed when we leave our house and go away on holidays. It is imperative to properly secure our homes to avoid evil-doers from breaking in or just to evade the unnecessary stress of worrying.

Deter the burglars with these 5 tips:

1. Do not advertise your absence.

One way of preventing thieves from breaking into your home is to not broadcast to the world that you are away. Resist your urge of posting updates on your social media accounts especially if they include time stamps (for example, “Enjoying a week away.”). Do not publicise your jetting-off on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Make sure that the only people who know about your vacation are the people you trust 100%. Otherwise, people could utilise the information you revealed for their organised robbery. There have been a lot of cases where burglars create dummy accounts to befriend or follow social media accounts of vulnerable victims. Once they know that you are away, they immediately target your residence for a break-in.

2. Make the impression that someone’s still home.

Lighting up your home at night is also one way of securing your home while you’re away. There are indoor lights with manual timers which you can set on and off during specific times of the day, giving the impression that you are home. You could also light up the porch using light sensors or time controllers.

Avoid lighting up rooms that could be observed from the outside through the blinds or curtains. Or better yet, change to thick or semi-opaque curtains.

Exterior lighting also works as a security procedure. Install motion sensors in the front and at the back of your house and around your lawn. Being seen in the spotlight might deter criminals from robbing your home.  

Aside from lighting up, you should also take care of your garden. Yes, one way of spotting an unattended house is by looking at the garden. Grass or hedges that have not been cut in days or weeks are easy to spot. This would mean that the burglars might be tempted to target your property because they know that no one is home and available to mow the lawn. So, before you leave for the holidays, make sure that you, a friend, or a family member mow the lawn, giving the impression that you are home and have not gone away.

Request a family member, a friend, or a neighbour, who is nearby to park in your driveway if possible. The regular flow of car movement of vehicles outside your house could create the impression of someone occupying your home.

You should also temporarily cancel any daily or weekly deliveries such as newspaper, and groceries, to avoid them from building-up and gaining suspicion of your whereabouts. It will keep your home safe and will save you a little bit of money too.

3. Have someone keep watch of your home.

Notifying a trusted neighbour about your plans for the holidays is also important. Ask them to keep an eye on your house from time to time, and report to you if there are any suspicious activities within the premises of your residence. Another option is to leave spare keys to your house with them. You could ask a trustworthy friend or a family member for this favour.

An overflowing mailbox is a major no-no. Ask your neighbour, friend, or family member, to take any post or mail you have received so that it wouldn’t build up and become noticeable that you are not home. If you couldn’t convince anyone to collect your mail, consider a short-term redirection to an available address.

4. Turn off sockets and double-check everything.

You must make sure that you turn off and unplug all your appliances. If you are planning an extended vacation, turn your refrigerator or freezer off. This would mean that you need to consume all perishables so that they would not be left to spoil and be wasted.

Check your heater, stove, and oven. Turn the gas range off. Also, inspect the furnace and chimney. Not only will this reduce the risk of fires but it will also save you a lot of money.

If you are going away for Christmas and you decide to display lights around your house, make sure they are inspected at a standard. Try using Christmas lights with timers. They will turn off during the day.

Double-check the batteries of your smoke alarms. Also, check their expiration dates. Make sure that they are working. It is also important to remember to pay your electricity bill in advance. This is so that your alarm system and lights will surely have power and work during your absence.

5. Secure your home with locks, keys, and alarm systems.

Of course, you wouldn’t leave your home without securing your locks and other security measures. Lock all the doors and windows of your house, any backyard rooms, and your garage. Check all possible entry points if they are secure. Do some reinforcement if needed.

It is recommended that you double-check your locks one night before your departure. This would ensure that you are not rushing at the last-minute preventing carelessness.

Make sure also that you have key control. Certain keys (master or spare) are only to be used by the people you have authorised.

Home security systems are also handy and quite essential. It would most likely include an overall alarm system (door and window sensors, motion sensors, and glass break sensors) with a control panel. They may also be monitored through your mobile phone, quite convenient especially when you are far away. Electronic access control systems allow you to control access, regularly securing your premises.

Secure your home during holidays with Ambassador Locksmiths

If you’re unsure on which locks to use, consult with the professional locksmiths from Ambassador Locksmiths. We provide a wide range of quality products (locks, bolts, hinges, etc.) and installation services (all lock and repair installations, electronic access control, etc.). Our experienced locksmiths can supply and install deadlocks, window locks, and sliding door locks to protect your family or stock from intruders looking to exploit the most susceptible areas of your property. We can also assist with any of your locksmith needs.