Going on holiday is an exciting time, but it's important not to neglect home safety while you're away. By taking some simple home protection measures, you can prevent being broken into and ensure your property remains secure.
So to start you off, here is a brief holiday home security checklist with tips and advice for how to keep your house safe:
- Lock all doors and windows, including garages and sheds. Consider installing deadbolt locks for added protection.
- Don't leave spare keys outside your home in “hiding spots”.
- Cancel regular deliveries like newspapers and have Royal Mail hold your mail to avoid piles of post.
- Unplug electronics to protect against fire risk.
- Turn off the water supply to avoid leaks and water damage.
- Hide or lock up any valuables, including jewellery.
Now that we’ve got the basics covered, let’s take a deeper dive into some of these tips and also have a closer look at other ways you can keep your home or even your holiday home safe whilst you’re away.
1. Ensuring your home looks occupied
In addition to asking a trusted neighbour to look after your home whilst you’re away, there are also other nifty tricks you can do to help ensure it looks like someone’s home. For example, you buy timers that you can attach to the plug of your standing lamps or table lights and have them switch on and off at various times. If you don’t have any lights that plug into a socket, consider investing in smart lights, as they can also be timed to switch on and off at various times or from afar.
As briefly mentioned, a trusted neighbour can also help your home look occupied. This can include collecting any accumulated mail, placing your bins back in their usual spot after they’ve been emptied, or even occasionally parking their car in front of your home. In general, a good neighbour can keep an eye on things and inform you while you’re away from home.
2. Remember to lock all your doors and windows
This may sound like an obvious one, but it’s always a good idea to do a quick round to ensure all your windows or doors leading outside are shut and secured/locked.
If you have a garden shed, ensure that you’ve locked this too, and lock away any gardening tools that could help someone break into your home.
3. Invest in a home security system
With so many different security systems available, from bell-only alarms, to video/camera alarms or smart alarm systems, choose one that suits your home and your needs best. Video doorbells are also extremely popular and can also help you monitor your home more easily while you’re away.
4. Check what’s covered in your insurance
If you have home insurance, check what it covers and what the excess fees are. Depending on this, you may want to adjust your level of protection. Also double-check whether a clause is included where you need to notify your insurance provider of your time away. It may be that, for example, if you’re away for several weeks at a time, your insurers must be notified.
5. Unplug your electrical appliances
But NOT your fridge or freezer!
To avoid any potential risk of electrical fire, unplug any electronics. The additional perk here is that you’ll save some electricity too.
6. Don’t advertise you’re going on holiday
Last, but certainly not least, avoid posting on social media or letting the wider public know that you’re heading off on holiday. As tempting as it may be to share some holiday snaps, you’re also risking anyone finding out that your home is unoccupied and an easy/easier target. This is especially the case if you’re active on social media and have a public account.
Our suggestion: Share your holiday pictures when you’re back home.
7. Make sure your mailbox stays empty
If you have a visible mailbox where people can see the mail piling up, consider telling the mail delivery service to hold on to it while you’re away. Mail piling up could be an indication that no one is home.
Other safety tips for your property:
If you live in an area that could be prone to flooding or heavy rainfall, you may want to consider installing devices that can alert you of water intruding. This can also be beneficial if you have a burst pipe or any other form of leak indoors. To avoid any indoor leaks, you may even want to consider turning off your water supply at the stop valve.
This isn’t a complete list of things you can do to protect your home, but will offer you some insight into some of the options available. Additionally, if you have a holiday home, you may want to consider some of these options if you haven’t already.
