Your home is probably its most vulnerable when you are not actually in it.
Whether you are just going to be gone for the weekend or whether or are heading out for a month-long adventure, a vacation is the perfect time for a burglar to target your house. Here are some home safety tips to prevent your home from becoming a burglar’s target:
1. Put a hold on your newspaper and mail.
Nothing says, “No one’s here!” like newspapers, packages, and mail piling up outside your home. Either arrange for someone to stop by and grab them for you or put them on hold until you come back.
2. Ask a neighbor to park in your driveway.
You might already have a neighbor who is parking a car on the street—wouldn’t they prefer to park in the driveway…your driveway, to be exact? This creates the illusion that someone is home, even if no one is.
3. Install a timer for your lights.
You can actually set timers so that they turn off and on at certain times of day. Instead of your dark home advertising that no one is in it, you can set a timer so a few lights turn on once it starts to get dark.
You might even be able to find a timer system that has a random setting, which can make the timing of the lights going on and off much more natural.
4. Put motion detectors on your outdoor lights.
This is just as useful when you’re home as when you’re away. Ask your neighbors to keep a lookout for those motion lights and to call the police if they see anything suspicious.
