As Easter draws nearer, so do the sweet, sweet public holidays that come with, meaning plenty of Perth households are venturing outside our locale for a bit of R&R. That being said, holiday periods can be a busy time for thieves and burglars who take advantage of the vacant homes, and going on holiday can end up causing more stress when our home and valuables aren’t secured. Here are some valuable safety tips for the holiday period.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Nowadays, home security involves more than just good door locks and safes. So, here are a few safety tips to keep your property safe while you’re away:
Avoid telling others about your trips, online and in person
No matter how excited you are for your holiday, it’s best to avoid mentioning that you’ll be away from your home, as it makes you a target for thieves. Even during your trip, publicising your vacation is essentially publicising that your home is vacant, so you should hold off posting until you return home.
Burglars have been known to create burner accounts online to monitor when people are away and when their homes will be vacant, so even if your account is private, posting may still leave you vulnerable to theft.
Get a neighbour or friend to check in on your home
Before you hit the road, make sure to ask a trusted neighbour or friend in your area to check in on your home from time to time, and report back to you with anything of note. You should also get them to take any mail delivered to your home so that it doesn’t build up and bring attention to your absence. If you’re away for a long period of time, it’s a good idea to have your neighbour tend to your garden and mow your lawn occasionally, as overgrown gardens can be a tell-tale sign of an unoccupied home.
If your friend or neighbour is able to, ask them to occasionally park their cars in front of your house so it appears that people are frequently in and out of your residence, which will deter burglars.
You can also request your local police force to send an officer to check on your property if need be.
Give the impression your home is occupied
Typically, when someone’s home, the lights will go on and off, the blinds will go up and down, and you will hear music or television noise from time to time. By programming objects in your home to do these automatically, it can make it seem as if someone’s home, which will discourage thieves from burglarising your house.
Another safety tip that can be a cost-effective option involves your lighting. It’s wise to set up indoor lighting with manual timers, which you can program to turn on and off throughout the day. It is best to light up rooms wherein the room itself cannot be seen from the street, as criminals could potentially see that the room is unoccupied, and decide to break in. Rooms with blinds or thick curtains are a good option, as are rooms on the upper levels that are too high for onlookers to see into. Installing sensors for your outdoor lights is a good measure to take generally too, as burglars wish to get in and out of your home without drawing attention to themselves, and will likely leave if your lights turn on as they arrive.
If you think it’ll benefit your home, you can purchase blinds that can be programmed to be opened at certain times, but keep in mind that you should not have the blinds opening completely in rooms that are visible from the street. If you have a thief monitoring your property, this will give them the impression that there’s someone inside at regular intervals. Although this is a pricier option to have installed, it is more likely to fool a burglar because it’s much less common that programmed lights.
Programming your television and speakers to turn on and off is also a good way to give the impression that someone is home, just make sure that they don’t play too loud or too late at night, as you don’t want to annoy your neighbours.
Final safety tip: Keep your security systems up to date
It probably goes without saying that good security systems are the best way to keep your home and valuables safe. Before you leave, check that your window and door locks are all intact and activated, your alarm is on, and your security system is calibrated and working. If you have cameras and alarms set up, look into whether or not they can be monitored remotely from a phone or laptop so you can keep an eye on your property while you’re away.
Even though there are a lot of components that play into the safety and security of your home, well maintained and secure door locks are actually one of the top deterrents of thieves, particularly when entryways have multiple kinds of locks (deadbolts, padlocks, knob locks, and so on). To make sure your window and door locks are up to standard, call Hashtag Locksmiths today for professional service you can trust.