Home Security Tips Before You Leave for Vacation

burglaryWoohoo, it is summer vacation time!! It is time to pack the bags, get in the car, hop a plane or RV it to your favorite destination!  But before you leave, we want to offer a few home security tips on preparing your home while you are away on vacation. Vacations and holidays are some of the top times of year where burglaries are highest.  There is nothing worse than coming home from a fantastic vacation to find that your home has been burglarized. To protect your home when you are away, prepare your home with these simple tasks. 

Act if you were Home

Adding timers to your indoor and outdoor lights can give the illusion that you are still home. Burglars prefer to steal from your home when no one is around.  Additionally, put a stop on your mail.  Overflowing mail in a mailbox is a clear indicator that something is out of place and most likely someone is not home.  If you have a pet; have a friend, neighbor or pet sitter come by to take care of the pet but also inform the area that someone is in the home while you are away.

Secure an Alarm System

Arm your alarm system if you already have one.  If you do not have one, make a purchase of a solution that can alert you or a security company that potential intruders might be in the home. Alarm systems today have cameras, motion sensors and triggers that can alert you to when a window or door has been breached.

Put Away Tools that Could be Used to Break into your Home

Cleaning up any tools around your home that could be used to quickly break a window or open a door is important.  You may not want to give burglars any simple means of breaking into your home.  This also goes for keeping keys under pots, rocks, mats or elsewhere.  Burglars know that people regularly keep keys close by.  It might be a good time to remove the keys or potentially invest in a keyless lock requiring a finger print to access your home.  Ladders or steps are also tools that make it easy for burglars to break into your home.  Store your ladders in your garage or shed but make sure they are not visible for passersby. Lock your sheds and garages to prevent the access to these tools to break into the home.

Take a Home Inventory

If by chance someone breaks into your home and takes what you own, you will need details to file a police report. Make sure you take a home inventory before heading out on a vacation. 

Social Media

Post your photos when you return and let everyone experience your full album after you return.  Burglars also know how to monitor social media sites and if you are talking about your trip while on it, you have notified anyone monitoring the internet that you are not home.

With these tips, you can feel assured that you have done everything you could to manage any potential break ins, so now it is time to ….. HAVE FUN!

For more tips, check these out. 

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Managing Vacation Homes Using These Simple Tips