A record number of people are expected to be traveling away from home this holiday season – but if you don’t make sure your home is safe before you leave, you could become a target for thieves.
Police say it’s important to make sure it looks like you’re actually home when you’re gone. They suggest getting timers for your lights and stopping your mail so it doesn’t pile up and tip off thieves.
Whether you’re visiting family, or taking a holiday vacation – here’s six important tips to help keep your home safe while you’re away:
- Ask a Friend to Help: This is one of the simplest ways to help keep your house safe. If you have a friend who lives nearby, just ask them to stop by and check on your house while you’re away. Also make sure to leave them a key to your home and the codes to your security alarms – just in case.
- Don't tip off criminals on the web: Would you announce to a crowd that you're leaving your house unattended for two weeks this December? If not - then you should think twice about posting your detailed vacation plans on social media. You never know who's watching.
- Do tip off the police: Consider notifying your local police department if you're going to be away for an extended period of time. It's possible that the police may go out of their way to drive around your neighborhood while on patrol, especially if you live in a small town. Some small town departments even offer that as a service year-round!
- Leave your lights on: Ok, you may not want ot leave your lights on the ENTIRE time you're away - especially if you're going on a longer trip - but you can purchase a light switch timer that will turn them on and off automatically at times you program. If a criminal is keeping an eye on your house, they will notice the lights flipping on and off and will likely assume someone is inside doing the flipping.
- Stop your mail: You can either place a "stop" order on your mail and newspaper while you're away or arrange to have a friend pick it up for you. Mail piling up in your box for days will tip off would-be thieves that no one is home.
- Remove your spare key: That plastic rock isn’t fooling anyone. If a criminal figures out you’re on vacation, it’s likely they’ll check your porch for a spare key before using other methods to break into your home. Take that option away by removing your spare key before you leave.
