8 Ways To Secure Your Home While You Travel

Going on a family holiday for few weeks is great and refreshing. However, having your home broken into while you are away is a scary thought. The loss of your personal belongings and a ruined house is not the news we like to hear while enjoying a nice holiday or upon arrival from one. So before you take that long vacation, make sure every security measure is in place to secure your house just like you would secure your laptop on travels. Here are some tips and precautions (besides the very obvious one of locking your door and windows) that would help secure your home when you are away traveling.

Tips To Secure Your Home While You Travel

Home Security | (c) Photo By CAA

1. Don’t Leave Trash Cans Outside

Most of us make sure the garbage is taken out before we leave on our holiday. However, once we leave the garbage bin outside, who is going to bring it back in? Seeing an empty garbage bin sitting by your driveway for weeks is a big sign to say “no one is home”. If you need to put the garbage out, take it to a nearby dumpster instead of leaving the bin outside.

2. Tell Your Neighbors

My neighborhood is great and we all keep watch on each others properties. We make sure to let our neighbors know when we’re going away. They give us a call, if something seems out of place. Same way you can give your trusted neighbors a way to contact you, if an emergency arise. This way you can feel at ease at your holiday.

3. Enlist Law Enforcement Assistance

If you live in a small city, law enforcement can be a big help. Usually small city communities are such that everyone knows everyone. Notify your local police station that you will be away for an extended period of time. Some police stations will send a marked car to drive around the neighborhood of where you live to make sure everything looks safe.

4. Stop Your Mail And Newspaper

Mails and newspapers piling up outside your front door is another indicator that one is at home. Therefore, you can arrange to have your mail held at your local post office until you return from your holiday. You can also call your local newspaper and have delivery halted for the days you are away.

5. Install Security Cameras

Having a security camera can be a great thing to your home. There are security cameras that are motion activated, which can send an alert to your phone with the images. Logitech Alert 750i Master System is an affordable and easy to setup security camera system that has this feature. Once you receive such an alert, you can inform your local law enforcement and they can be there in matter of moments.

6. Dog Security

If you have a dog and is leaving at home with a caretaker, the dog actually can secure your home from burglars. Of course the dog won’t be able to give you a phone call but when a burglar hears a loud bark, there is a high chance they would turn around and walk away instead of breaking in.

7. Hire A House-Sitter

If you travel with the entire family, hire a house sitter to take care of your house while you are away. This way there is always someone at your house making sure everything is OK. What’s more, a house sitter will have your home dusted, plants watered and mail picked up so you won’t have to spend a day cleaning the house after a relaxing trip.

8. Make Sure You’re Covered

Insurance policies is a good way to cover any damages to your property. However, they differ in terms of home coverage while you are away on a holiday. So make sure you read the terms of your policy carefully before committing to one. If you have homeowner’s insurance, you should be knowledgeable about what is covered and what is not.

These tips and precautions may not guarantee that your home will not be burglarized. Nonetheless, having few of these security measures in place will definitely deter burglars from breaking in to your home while you are away on a holiday. It will also give you a peace of mind knowing that you have done everything possible to keep your valuables and home secure.