5 Simple ways to keep your home safe while you’re on holiday

Ahh, holidays! With the Easter break on the horizon, it’s time for a little R & R. Kids get to sleep in and parents don’t have the crazy morning rush to contend with.

Many of us will be enjoying a long awaited trip where we can simply unwind and not think about the carnage at the office. Even if it’s just a for a few days.

But, does the thought of leaving your house empty for a week leave you in a cold sweat?

Don’t become an insurance statistic. Take a look at these 5 simple ways to keep your home safe during the holidays.

Get a house-sitter

Yes, good help is hard to find. But if you want to keep your home safe, having a person in your space has many benefits. Lights going on at irregular intervals, cars coming and going, and the mailbox being cleared out daily makes your home less of a target.

A home that is dark and quiet for an extended period is an open invitation for an opportunistic burglar. Your security company still has to respond to an alarm activation which may take several minutes – plenty of time for a smash and grab.

Let your security company know

Keeping your security company informed of the dates that you will be away – and asking for extra surveillance – is a good idea. The patrollers can have a walk around each day to make sure that the windows and doors haven’t been tampered with and nothing looks out of place.

Talk to your neighbours

If you have reliable and friendly neighbours, ask them to keep an eye on your property. Their home safety is linked with yours, and they are more invested in the general safety of their area.

If you are members of your local neighbourhood watch team, then ask them to maintain a presence too – there’s no such thing as too much surveillance.

Turn down your home phone

If your house is fairly close to the road then a loud, persistent telephone can alert wily criminals to an empty home. To keep your home safe, turn down the ringer volume, and if possible, divert calls to your mobile phone.

Put your valuables away

Don’t tempt fate! Put your car keys, tablets, phones, laptops and any other valuables away. If you have a safe, that’s the best place – but it’s imperative that they are not on display.

Most criminals will break into a property for a specific item – and if they can see it through a window then it’s fair game.

Putting your car keys in the safe means that they won’t be using your car as a getaway vehicle. Don’t make it easy for them. Other house keys should be given to a friend or locked away too. Handing over a set of house keys to a criminal is not the wisest thing – you never know when they’ll be back.

Sadly, we can’t always get away from the criminal element, but we can make it more difficult for them! And failing that, you can always count on your reliable home insurance company to charge to your rescue.

Happy holidays from all of us at CC&A Insurance.