If you are planning to travel soon, you have probably started to make the necessary arrangements. Perhaps you have taken the car into the mechanic for a tune-up before starting on your road trip, and you’ve made plans to have your dog boarded and your cat fed by a neighbor. As the days get closer, you’ll finish up the perishable foods in your refrigerator and you’ll make sure that you are caught up on your laundry to avoid having to deal with it when you return. One other preparation that’s necessary is to be sure that your home is properly secured and protected to prevent against a break-in. Here is a checklist of some things that you should do to keep your home safe while on vacation:
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Put lights on a timer. Have them go on for a couple of hours in the morning and also for a few hours in the evening, just as you would if you were home. Don’t forget about your outside lights!
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Think about how your house sounds. An occupied home is generally not silent. Turn on a radio while you’re gone. You can also set a clock radio for a certain time each afternoon or evening; these usually shut off on their own after an hour or two, so you won’t need to actually put it on a timer. Also, turn off your phone’s ringer or set up your voicemail to pick up after one or two rings; if the house were occupied, the phone wouldn’t be allowed to ring endlessly.
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Ask someone to keep up with maintenance. If it snows while you’re gone, for example, hire someone to shovel your walkway and sidewalk, and plow the driveway. If there’s just a light snow, ask a neighbor to walk up and down the walkway a few times so that footprints are apparent.
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Have someone collect your mail. You can put a stop on your mail at the post office, or you could simply have a neighbor or friend stop by and collect it, along with any delivered packages, every day or two. Have her also pick up the newspaper as well as any flyers that people leave on the front door.
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Know when to keep quiet. While many of us share our vacation plans with the world via Twitter, Facebook and our blogs, it’s best to limit this information to only close friends and family members, at least until you return and are ready to share vacation pictures! No need to broadcast to everyone that you’ll be away.
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Tell the police that you’ll be away. If you’ll be gone for a week or more, just phone in a tip to the police department that you will be away for some time. If there is an officer in your area anyway, he might be willing to drive by your house periodically in order to check that all is well.
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Go over how to leave lights and blinds with anyone who might be entering your home. This includes friends who are bringing in the mail as well as pet-sitters. Be sure that they know how to lock everything securely.
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Do a final walkthrough. Before leaving, double-check all doors and windows to make sure that they are locked. If you have a spare key outside anywhere, remove it. If you’re not home, this gives a thief adequate time to scope out all of the typical places, and some atypical places, that you might hide a key. Instead, leave the key with a trusted neighbor or friend.
Your travel during the winter holidays should be a great break away from everything. Just be sure to take the necessary steps to keep your home safe while you are away.
