How to Keep Your Home Safe While Away on Holidays

Before you head out on holiday, you want to ensure that the belongings and important personal items you leave behind are safe and sound. Fortunately, much of the work of maintaining your security at home can be done before you depart for your trip.

With just a little extra planning, you can take extra precautions to keep your home safe. By keeping the news of your upcoming travels on the down low, locking up your home securely, taking steps to make your home look occupied, and even keeping valuables out of easy view, you can better protect your home. Keep reading to get some of the best holiday home security tips!

Only Share Your Travel Plans With Those You Trust

It’s completely understandable to be ecstatic about going on holiday and to want to share the news with others. However, be careful to only share your plans, especially specific departure and return dates, with those you trust. This way, the news of your home being unoccupied is much less likely to reach a would-be home invader.

A big part of keeping your upcoming holiday on the down low is avoiding talking about it on social media. You should keep quiet about your trip while you’re away, too. This can be a challenge, but is well worth it to help keep your home secure. Once you’re back home, you can post your favourite travel pictures without stressing!

Consult Your Home Insurance Policy Before Departing

Outside close friends and family, the other party you may want to speak to about your upcoming holiday with is actually your home insurance company. This is the perfect time to ask your insurance agent for clarification on the specifics of your policy. Some policies have extra requirements for coverage during a homeowner’s holiday, so it’s best to review your policy and understand what’s covered, how long it’s covered for during your absence, and to make sure you’re prepared to take any extra steps needed to ensure coverage of your home during your trip.

Keep Your Home Secure by Locking Up and Activating Smart Security Features

Don’t forget to lock up before you leave for your holiday destination! Ensure your docks are locked, windows are secure, and your smart home security systems are up and running before leaving. These steps are simple but can go a long way towards keeping your home safe.

Additionally, if you have an intruder alarm system or CCTV, you might want to test out the technology to check that it’s working before you leave. If you have smart locks, consider double-checking that their batteries are fully charged to mitigate the possibility of a lock out when you return home.

Keep Up Appearances While You’re Away From Home

Ideally, you want your home to appear occupied while you’re out of town. While you can take lots of steps to do this, like keeping a car parked outside or even leaving a few curtains open, some of the best tips are to put lights on a timer and cancel your deliveries.

Put Lights on a Timer

Both exterior and interior lights can be put on timers for your convenience, or to make it look like you’re home. If you put lights on a timer during your holiday, try to sync the timers to your standard schedule to make the light patterns seem as normal as possible.

Cancel Deliveries or Ask a Friend to Collect Your Post

Post and deliveries piling up on a doorstep can be a tell-tale sign that nobody’s not around. Before you go on holiday, cancel any regular deliveries you get at home. If you’ll be gone for more than a few days, you might also want to ask a friend or family member to pick up your post.

Keep Valuables Out of Sight

Along with securing your windows and doors before leaving, you should think about what’s visible through them. If others can easily look in and see your valuables, you may want to move them to minimise incentives for potential thieves.

Keep Your Home Safe With Hogs Back Security

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your home’s locks and security systems before your holiday or just need a general security upgrade for your day-to-day peace of mind, Hogs Back Security can help. We can install UPVC windows and patio doors, upgrade your home’s locks to smart locks, and even help you get CCTV and intruder alarms to help watch over your property.

To learn more and get excellent security at home, just contact us! Located in Farnham, we proudly serve homeowners in and around Tongham, Guildford, Camberley, Aldershot, Godalming, and beyond.