Making sure you secure your home whilst on holiday

The holiday has been booked. All transports arrangements and parking have been sorted and now you can’t wait until the big day arrives! But before you leave, there are some things you need to remember to do in order to prepare you home for your holiday. You need to make sure it is secure.

It is a proven fact that Burglars like to case a neighbourhood prior to making any decisions about where to commit their crime and it is also a fact that homes which look deserted are the biggest targets of crime; therefore you need to make sure your home does not look appealing to Burglars.

The first things to do to protect your home are to take every day precautions such as the following:

• Make sure all windows and doors are closed and ,locked prior to leaving your home
• Install a security alarm and make sure it is set each time you leave the house
• Leave lights on in the house if you are going out at night to make it look like someone is home
• Keep all tools and ladders locked away to ensure you do not help a Burglar break into your home
• Keep all valuables out of sight. Do not leave items of jewellery or expensive computer equipment for example by windows
• Install a security light which is triggered by a sensor when someone comes close to your property at night

There are also extra precautions you can take to make sure your home is kept as safe as possible whilst you are away and enjoying your holiday. Some tips to do this are as follows:

• Install timer switches on lamps for them to come on the same time each night to make it look like someone is in the house. You could also set a timer to a radio to make it sound like someone is at home
• Cancel all regular deliveries such as your newspaper or milk so that things do not start to collect at the door as this is a sure sign that no-one is home
• Avoid writing you name and address on any visible luggage tags on your holiday baggage as there may be people at your local airport looking for targets
• Get a friendly neighbour or someone from your family to keep an eye on the property whilst you are away. You could even arrange for your neighbour to park any of their additional vehicles in your drive to make it look like you are at home
• Do not discuss any of your holiday plans with strangers and do not announce via social media sites that you are going away
• Keep any valuables hidden whilst you are away; or locked in a safe if you have one

As well as Burglars being on the prowl for unoccupied residences it is also our use of social media that is increasing the risk of burglaries. It has become popular, particularly when we are on holiday to announce to family, friends (or even burglars) that your home is unoccupied by announcing where we are, how much fun we are having and how long we are away for.

Research into social media habits for The Co-operative Travel and The Co-operative Insurance of 3000 people revealed that 51% of our children are regularly updating their social media status about holidays. In addition, 37% of these people advised they have no privacy setting to prevent personal information falling into the wrong hands.

Trevor Davis the Director of Retail Distribution for The Co-operative Travel explained “The traditional precautions people take to protect their homes whilst they’re on holiday are being undermined by the growth in social media. This is particularly true for families with teenage children, who perhaps aren’t as aware of the need to avoid telling strangers that your house will be unoccupied. This year’s holidaymakers are likely to be particularly vulnerable, due to the growing availability of Wi-Fi connections in hotels and resorts. This is allowing people to keep updating their accounts while abroad and inevitably raises the awareness that the user is away from home.”

Here are some tips for securing personal information on social media sites:

• Do not check-in using Foursquare. This enables you to check-in at airports, hotels or other public places that suggest your home is empty
• Use privacy settings properly to ensure you are careful who you share your information with. Keep personal information to a minimum
• Use a general location to advise people where you are. The more specific you are about where you live, the easier it will be for a burglar to locate your home
• Do not announce the dates of your holiday
• If you wish to post updates about your holiday or add photo’s then do this once you have returned home
• Make sure you are only in contact with people you know. It may seem like fun to add people you have never met, but you do not really know who these people are
• Do not let children publish personal information; including holidays. Children need to learn and understand the risks and implications of revealing personal information over the internet

Finally, just in case the worst should happen whilst you are away from home make sure you are insured.