How to Keep Your Home Safe When You’re on Vacation
Home security doesn’t have to go on vacation while you’re on vacation. Shut the door on your worries with these tips for keeping your home safe while you’re away!
Give Your Mail Carrier a Break
Even if you’re only going away for a few days, all those circulars and pest control postcards can pile up! It’s super-easy to ask the USPS to hold your mail. Once you’ve returned to reality you can either have your mail carrier deliver your pent-up mail or you can visit your local post office and pick it up yourself. The choice is yours! And if you subscribe to the print edition of The Tennessean or another newspaper, be sure to put those on hold as well.
Enlist Your Neighbors (or Don’t)
Assuming you have a friendly relationship with your neighbors, be sure to let them know you’re heading out of town. Nothing beats an active set of eyes when it comes to burglar detection (except, perhaps, an indoor/outdoor wireless home monitoring system). If your relationship is more antagonistic than amiable, you may want to keep your plans to yourself!
Be Social Savvy
If you’re a chronic chronicler of your adventures, conduct a quick audit of your social media settings. Make sure that your settings are private and that only your closest friends know what you’re up to. Interested in more learning more about how to prevent theft by being smart on social media? Read our earlier post on the topic here.
Leave a Smart Message
While you’re at it, be mindful of your voicemail message: your callers just need to know that you can’t come to the phone right now, they don’t need to know that you’ll be away for the next two weeks. If you’re setting an auto-response to your email, keep it vague.
To Close or Not to Close?
Your curtains say a lot about you. While it may be tempting to close your curtains to prevent prying eyes from taking a peek, it may not be the best policy. Closed curtains make it easier for criminals to work undetected while simultaneously making it harder for good samaritans to do their job effectively. We recommend leaving your curtains open, as they are when you’re home. Simply move valuable electronics, jewelry, or art to a safe and secure location.
Your Lights Are On, But Nobody’s Home
Whatever you do, don’t leave your lights on, 24/7. It’s wasteful, expensive, and it’ll fool precisely no one. Instead, confuse potential burglars by investing in a 7-day random vacation timer or a wireless programmable timer that you can control from your phone. Be sure to program your switches to mimic your at-home schedule, but vary it each day to keep folks on their toes.
Ditch the Spare Key
We’ve got some news for you: everyone knows that fake rock is holding a spare key. And if you’re the kind of person who leaves a spare under your mat or perched atop your door, for the love of security, stop!
Do the Landscaping
Vacation is all about getting away from it all, we get it. But vacation is no excuse for not keeping up with the Joneses. For shorter vacations, you can probably get away with giving the lawn a good mow before you go. If you plan on being out of town for more than a week, though, make arrangements with a local teenager or a landscaping company to keep your lawn looking well-kempt and your petunias perky.
Go on Lockdown
This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to lock their doors and windows. Before heading out the door, take a moment to make the rounds, carefully checking all doors and windows. Don’t forget any detached structures that may be on your property.
Disable the Garage Door Opener
If you have an automatic garage door, be sure to unplug the power source. There’s no need for criminals to gain access to your garage by using a universal remote.
Invest in a Home Security Alarm
Unfortunately, burglary is on the rise in Nashville. According to the latest crime statistics, forcible, unlawful entry, and attempted forcible entry rose by nearly 7%. Not only that, but according to the US Department of Justice, burglary rates increase during the summer. Don’t
add to the statistics, enjoy peace of mind while you’re on vacation by investing in a home alarm monitoring service.
To learn more about our affordable monitoring services and alarm products, contact NCA Alarms!