We are all making our plans to get some sun on our faces on holiday this year. The plans in the office vary from weekends in the UK, city breaks in Europe’s capitals to beach holidays, but we are all aware that we need to take care and make plans to secure our properties whilst we are away.
Here are our top tips to help keep your property safe whilst unoccupied.
- Timers – Putting lights on timers are a great way of putting off potential burglars. They give the illusion that someone is present. However, try to make sure you don’t highlight the most valuable items in your home with your lighting.
- Burglar Alarms – If you haven’t already, get an alarm fitted. The extra deterrence of a loud ringing alarm is often enough to deter intruders. What’s more, alarms are getting more sophisticated and some are capable of calling local police, your mobile, or any other friend or relative that can be at your property quickly.
- Locks – Securing your property with locks is essential to ensure your insurance is valid but check your outhouses, sheds and garages too. Not only do people often store valuable items such as bikes outside, but tools found within these buildings can help people gain access to your property quickly.
- Have a friend or relative visit the house – If you have someone you trust in the area, ask them to drop by the house whilst you are away. If someone is watching your house, this will deter them, especially if they arrive at irregular times. It’s surprising how willing your friends and family are to do this when a bottle of wine or box of chocolates is used as payment.
- CCTV – Unfortunately, CCTV is an expensive option but one that will not only alert you to any peculiar behaviour of potential burglars if checked regularly, but this can even help catch the culprits if they do gain entry to your property. There are hundreds of companies fitting CCTV across the country but if this is not within your budget, there are some very good replica cameras on the market at a fraction of the cost. The average burglar won’t know the difference!
We hope these tips have given you some food for thought when leaving your property. The more secure you make your property, the less you have to worry about it and the easier it is to sit back, relax and enjoy the sunshine.
