One of our earlier blogs looked at methods to help you secure your home on a budget but how can you keep the property safe when you go away? This blog looks at crime prevention tips when you are out of the country topping up your tan.
Make your home looked lived in – Probably one of the easiest ways to create the impression that you’re still at home is to fool thieves into thinking you are there. Leave curtains pulled back, cancel the milk and any newspapers that you have delivered, and use timers on lights, radios and televisions so they come on and go off at different times of the day. Create a lived-in look and thieves should look elsewhere.
Be discreet about your movements – Try to avoid telling all and sundry about your travel plans, if you mention you are ‘going away for a while’ in the local pub anyone could overhear the conversation. Be selective about who you tell, keep it to close friends and family members, don’t brag in the butchers you are ‘Off to Benidorm’ at the end of the week or you might come back to an empty house.
Ask people to pop in – Leave a spare key with friends or a member of the family and ask them to check on the house from time to time. If you have a mate that still lives at home with their parents see if they fancy doing a spot of ‘house sitting’ for a few days and ask them to keep an eye on your house. They might enjoy the freedom and you’ll enjoy the peace of mind knowing that somebody is staying in your property.
Move precious items elsewhere – If you have personal or precious items that you couldn’t live without ask somebody to store them for you away from the home. Pop them in a safety deposit box or simply get a relative to keep hold of them until you return just to be on the safe side.
Hire a house sitter – Look for a professional agency that supplies house sitters for people that go on holiday. They’re very reputable, have thorough background checks, come with oodles of references and some of them will even look after you pets as well. So your home is safer and you’ll know your pets are fed and receive plenty of attention if you do decide to book a last-minute break.
