How To Keep Your Home
Safe and Secure When
You are on Holiday



When you are about to go on holiday your mind is probably
thinking about packing, buying currency, getting travel
insurance, booking an airport car park space and making sure
you have packed your passport.


Do you think about the security of
the home you are leaving behind?

Here are our top 10 tips for keeping your home safe while on
holiday:
1. Leave your curtains open or closed?
Many people have the strong belief that you should close
your curtains when you are away so that a burglar cannot
see in. However, this is a key sign for burglars that you
are out especially when they can see the curtains closed
during the day. Once they break into your home, they can
take their time moving around looking for your valuables
as no-one can see them.

2. Be careful about who you tell about your upcoming
exciting holiday!
It is exciting going on holiday and you probably want to
tell everyone but be careful who is listening. You can
trust your close friends and family and it is wise to tell
your neighbours, however, if you tell everyone in your
local shop you don’t know who may be listening. Ensure
that if you mention your holiday on social media you
either wait until you get back or only post on private
groups. Some people are also tempted to update their
answerphone message to say that they are on holiday and
when they will return but remember it is not just your
friends that may phone your number.




3. Hide your valuables
We advised you to keep your curtains open so don’t leave
any valuables such as expensive jewellery near a
window. This is good advice even when you are not away
but especially important if you are on holiday. Distribute
your valuables around your house and don’t just hide all
your best jewellery in your sock drawer as this is an
obvious hiding place for burglars. Leave some cheap
jewellery or some money in an obvious place so that if the
worst does happen, hopefully, the burglars will grab that
and run. Breaking into houses to get car keys for valuable
cars is very common nowadays. If your car will be left
sitting in the drive the whole time you are away it may be
worthwhile leaving the keys with a friend or neighbour.


4. Insurance
By now you will have your travel insurance sorted but
have you checked your house insurance? Are you covered
if you are away for more than 14 days? Are there any
exclusions eg are you insured if someone else stays in
your home whilst you are away?


5. Tidy your garden
If you are going away during the summer months when
grass and weeds grow quickly, it won’t take long for your
home to look like the house may be vacant. Before you
go cut the grass, tidy the borders and ensure any tools
are locked safely in a shed or garage.



6. Cancel deliveries
Cancel any regular deliveries such as milk or newspapers.
Don’t be tempted by online shopping the week before you
go on holiday unless you are certain your goods will be
delivered on time. The last thing you want is your goods
being left in normally safe places around your house like
your back door, greenhouse or bin.

7. Security
To make your home look occupied, invest in a light on a
timer switch that will come on for a few hours in the
evening. Light up a room that you normally use in the
evening. Some people are inclined to set the hall light to
come on or a table lamp near a window. These are both
quite obvious to a burglar. If you have an alarm ensure it
is in good working order. If you don’t, we recommend
installing a wireless burglar alarm system as this is a
great deterrent. We can visit your home and provide a
free quote for a new alarm system and/or home
CCTV. We will also point out any other home security
risks that we can see.

8. Kind neighbours
If you are going to be away for more than a week, it is a
good idea to ask a trusted neighbour to pop into your
home a few times to remove mail from the front door and
to water your plants. Wilting flowers and piles of post are
other giveaways to burglars that you are not at home. If
your neighbour has a couple of cars and you are taking
yours away, you could ask them to park in your drive
sometimes.




9. Early morning start
If you are leaving early in the morning to catch a flight or
ferry, please don’t be tempted to pack your car with your
luggage the night before. It may make it easier and
quicker in the morning but it is a clear sign to anybody
walking by that you are going away.

10. Final checks
The last checks you need to do before you head off for a
great holiday are:
o Are all windows locked?
o Are all devices switched off?
o Keep your router switched on if your alarm or
camera are using an app.
o Close internal doors so that an intruder can’t see
right through your house from one window.
o Empty your bins (you don’t want to come back to a
smelly house)!
o Switch on your alarm and lock all doors.

Have a fantastic, relaxing holiday!
If you would like any further help and advice on home security,
please get in touch with one of our security experts at Safe
Simple Secure in Edinburgh.

First published at https://www.safesimplesecure.com/how-to-
keep-your-home-safe-while-on-holiday/