Wednesday 25 July 2018

Keeping your home safe while on holiday....

With summer holidays here many of us will be leaving behind our homes and going away on holiday....

It is estimated that approximately 45 million Brits go away on holiday between late June and the end of August but did you know that the summer holidays are a peak time for burglaries?.....


There are many ways to keep your home safe while you are away on your travels....

Don’t share the fact your house is going to be empty on social media...It might be tempting to say you are going on a dream holiday. Wait until you come home to share your travels.

Cancel any regular deliveries that will sit on your doorstep such as milk and newspapers. Our free newspaper never gets put right through our letterbox so it would be obvious to see if it's been left there for days...


Ask a friend or neighbour to keep an eye on your house while you are away. They might be kind enough to come and open and shut curtains, turn a light on and pick up your post. Some burglars will look for signs that you are away by having a peek through the letter box. A pile of unopened letters is an open invitation.

If you don’t have a friend or neighbour who can move your post apply for the Royal Mail’s keep safe service, who can hold your post for a fee.

Never hide a key near the home....None under the doormat or plant pots.


Turn down the ring tone on your house phone. Long loud unanswered rings are just another way of shouting out, “No-one’s here.”

If your window locks have keys in make sure you remove the keys to remove temptation for thieves....

Turn everything off at the socket which can be. Obviously not the fridge or freezer. This can protect your home from an electrical fire or power surge.

Give the impression that there is someone at home...New technology now makes it possible to program the lights and other appliances to switch on and off....

Consider getting a relative, friend or neighbour to park on your drive if you have one to give the impression someone is home....Get them to do this for a while before you go away so it looks normal...

Secure your valuables....Keep them out of sight or lock them away if possible.

Mow the lawn and do some weeding before you go away so the garden doesn’t look overgrown and untended.

Keep tools locked away so they can’t be used to break into your house. And if you have no option but to leave a ladder outside, ensure it’s secured to a permanent fixture with a padlock and chain.

Most burglars get in through a back door or window. Make it difficult for them by locking all side or back gates and adding trellis to the top of walls and fences. 

Install a burglar alarm/put a fake one up: This will deter any burglars from even attempting to break into your home. If you’re put off by the cost sometimes just the sight of one will put a thief off so you don’t necessarily need to fork out for a real one.

Check your insurance policy before you travel....If the worst happens you need to know that you're covered by your home insurance. Don't assume anything! With many policies there's a limit on how many days you can leave your home unoccupied and still make a claim.....

Just before you leave, spare a few minutes to walk around your home to double check everything is safe and secure.

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