Holiday plans? Keep your home safe while you’re away
Nothing destroys a post-vacation glow like returning to find your home ransacked.
Read on for things to keep in mind if you’re planning on being away for more than a couple of days.
- Tell a trusted neighbour about your travel plans. They can keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.
- An unkempt lawn is a sure way to signal that no one is home so mow it before you leave. If you’re away for more than one week, consider asking a trusted neighbour to mow your lawn.
- Install a motion detector light. It’s an easy deterrent and may be enough to spook someone away and alert your neighbours to unexpected movement on your property.
- Program your lights to turn on in the evening. If possible, program different times for different days to create an illusion of natural activity.
- While it’s tempting to share your travels on social media, remember - you never know who’s watching. Your pictures will be just as good when you return so be patient and don’t draw unnecessary attention to your empty house.
- Keep valuables such as electronics, jewelry and documents in a safe or offsite. Reduce temptation for opportunistic criminals by making sure anything valuable can’t be seen if peeking through your windows.
- Lock the garage door and the door that leads to the garage.
- If your neighbour has more than one car, ask him to park one of them in your driveway to simulate a presence.
- Purchase a hold mail service from Canada Post to ensure that no packages are delivered while you’re away.
- If you plan to be away for a long time, it’s better to turn off the water supply.
Last but not least, ask a friend or a relative to check on your place once a week. Some home insurance policies include this as a condition of coverage, so if something like a water main break occurs, damage can be minimized and contained before it escalates into thousands of dollars of damage. Check with your broker for specifics about your policy.
Sources:
https://www.smartertravel.com/keep-home-safe-vacation-9-essential-tips/
https://www.garda.com/blog/6-tips-for-keeping-your-home-safe-while-on-vacation
https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/protect-home-on-vacation
The content in this article is for information purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as professional or expert advice. Aviva and the Aviva logo are trademarks of Aviva plc. and are used under licence by Aviva Canada Inc. and its subsidiary companies.