Nothing ruins the memories of a good holiday quite like coming home to find you’ve been burgled. That's why it's important to take time to protect your home in your absence - whether that's through security systems, or with a little help from friends, relatives, and neighbours.
Plan ahead
In the excitement of planning a holiday, it's easy not to think about what will happen at home while you're gone. Once your holiday's booked, start thinking about ways to keep your home safe while you're away.
- Flying from a local airport? Call a taxi and leave the family car on the driveway. For longer trips, ask a friend or relative to move the car occasionally and re-park it facing the other way.
- Put standing orders on hold. A growing collection of unopened milk bottles or unread newspapers will give away your absence.
- Ordering parcels that might be delivered while you're away? Consider using a parcel locker or in-store delivery service. That way you won't have a pile of packages on your doorstep, and you won't fall victim to 'porch pirates'.
- Avoid posting on social media about upcoming holidays, or loudly discussing it in the pub, hairdressers, or corner shop. You don't want to advertise that your house will be empty.
Secure the exterior
In the lead up to your holiday, think about all the ways a burglar could get into your home. Do you have sash windows you can reach from the ground or flat roof? How safe is your garden gate? And how secure is the side door into your built-in garage?
Identifying weaknesses can help to inspire solutions. You could put a chain around the handles of French windows for extra protection. Or wedge patio doors shut with a plank of wood. A well-positioned plank can also prevent pull-down handles from opening.
If you're talking tech, alarm systems can offer peace of mind. Dummy boxes are available too, but they're not likely to fool anyone. Garden alarms can be triggered by passing foxes or neighbouring children retrieving stray footballs, but a motion-sensor light in your back garden is a good idea.
Home security cameras and video doorbells can be a deterrent to thieves, and valuable clues to police should someone break in. Before you leave, make sure they're well positioned and working.
Make the house look occupied
Need to make your home look lived-in, even while it’s empty? Here's some ideas:
- Invest in timers
For a few pounds, you can buy a timer which will turn lamps, TVs, and radios on and off throughout the day. A well-lit house is far less likely to be burgled, and voices broadcast by talk radio stations will give the impression that people are at home. Don’t leave lights or a TV on all the time, though. No occupied house would have ceiling lights on during a sunny afternoon or a TV blasting at 5am. - Research remote-controlled appliances
App-controlled home devices are a great alternative to timers. From electric blinds to adjustable lighting, there are plenty of ways to make your home look lived in from anywhere in the world. - Angle your blinds
Closed curtains in the daytime are a giveaway there's nobody home. But by angling blinds strategically, you can make it difficult for people to see in. - Arrange visitors
Ask friends or relatives to call in once a week. If they can put fresh flowers in the window and your post, it can suggest that someone's home. Don't forget to ask them to put the bin out on collection day, too! - Keep a little clutter
Nobody wants to come home to a messy house. But emptied worktops and bare tables won't make your home appear lived in. Put remote controls on the arm of a sofa, and leave some books and magazines out. That way it will look like you've left the room, but not the country.
Hide temptation
Avoid leaving valuable items in plain sight when you’re not home. Leaving sets of car keys beside the front door makes it easy for a thief to scoop them up with a magnet or a fishing line. Jewellery on a dressing table will make smashing the bedroom window all the more appealing to a burglar.
Store anything valuable and portable out of sight. Laptops and tablets should be hidden. Look through the windows to see what’s visible from outside, and move anything that might be tempting to someone peering in.
