5 Tips For Keeping Your Home Safe While You're Away On Vacation
The holiday season is a magical time of year when family and friends gather together in celebration of life, health, and of course, good food. However, for many people the reality of enjoying the company of all of their family members, means traveling far distances away from home, and this rightfully brings some trepidation regarding home security. You can proactively protect your home before you go on vacation, and here's how.
1. Make Arrangements to Clear the Snow
Make arrangements with a snow removal company or ask a friend ahead of time to keep your driveway free of snow. One ubiquitous rule concerning security is to make it look as though someone is home. Criminals consistently choose unoccupied houses so that they can get away without being noticed. That is the same reason why a surprising amount of burglaries happen during the day while people are at work.
2. Make Careful Choices on Social Media
You may be tempted to check in on social media to let your friends know where you are, but send a private message or text message instead. Also, be sure to turn off the geotagging feature in your phone, if not the exact coordinates of where you are can be easily discovered by anyone who googles the latitude and longitude from the picture.
Also, think twice before posting your vacation pictures while you are away from your home. People will notice the change in your feed and will easily notice that the pictures you're posting are out of the norm. Even if you have privacy settings on your social media profile, you can't be sure that a friend's computer isn't compromised. Therefore, it's best to wait until you're safely back home to post vacation pictures.
3. Make a Call to Your Alarm Company
Many people get a house sitter while they are away on vacation as it's a great way to deter a criminal. Your house sitter can feed the animals, check the mail, and shovel snow. It's a good idea to phone your alarm company so they can make a note that you'll be on vacation. That way if the alarm is tripped accidentally your house sitter, family member, or friend will be temporarily authorized to speak to the company so that the police won't have to be called.
4. Make Sure to Hide Outside Wiring
Burglars often cut power and phone wires outside homes to disable alarm systems. Therefore, make sure that your outside wires are covered up so that enterprising criminals can't attempt to cut the lines. Your alarm system should have a battery back-up so that your home will remain protected in the event of a power outage or cut line. Also, make sure that your alarm system can alert your alarm service wirelessly just in case the phone wires become compromised.
5. Make Sure You Lock up Tight
Most of the time criminals enter a home through either the doors or windows, so inspect these openings to make sure that the locks are in good shape. Lock all windows and doors before you go. If you have simple pushpin locks, consider having deadbolt locks installed to increase door security.
Avoid leaving keys in practical places like the mailbox or under a plant or mat when you head out on vacation. Instead, leave a key with a trusted individual before you go. If you must leave a key somewhere make sure you camouflage it or get creative.
Contact Us
The stark side of the season is the reality that many criminals begin targeting the houses that they will burglarize. If you are venturing far from home this holiday season, start safeguarding your home now against burglaries by contacting Security Services Northwest, Inc.