Protect Your Home
During Vacation
By J. A. Young
Photo: © Jeff Clow - dreamstime.com
Since summer time is popular for family vacations, a lot of burglars take advantage of this time to scope out and break into homes that are unoccupied. Here are a few things you can do to protect your home while you are on vacation.
House Sitter - A house sitter is one of the best protections against break-ins. This person should be a trusted neighbor, relative or friend of the family who can call the police if something happens.
To help your house sitter or the person checking on your home, make a list of things about your house such as where the power boxes are, where the water lines are and other important details about the house. |
You could also make a list of other people that would be able to help with the house sitting just in case one person can’t cover all the responsibilities, like feeding pets and watering plants.
Alarm System - An alarm system for your house is an excellent deterrent to prevent a robbery. Studies have even shown that in-active security cameras that are visible to prowlers will deter a break-in. If you set an alarm before going on vacation, you should alert anyone who has access to your home so they don't accidentally set it off.
Mail and Newspaper - Remember to call your newspaper service to put your newspapers on hold until you return. Most newspaper services will happily oblige. Also contact the post office to put your mail on hold. Mail can usually be put on hold for up to thirty days and can be setup two weeks before the date you want it to start. An alternative is to have a friend collect the papers and mail each day.
Other Precautions - According to experts, the best measure of protection is to make it look as if you are still at home. Some simple solutions are to put a motion detector on the outdoor lights and set a timer on the TV and indoor lights so they turn on during evening hours and your home looks lived in. |
