You’re finally going on that holiday you’ve been saving for the whole year. Whether that’s with your family, friends, or on your own, it will give you some time to relax and unwind. However, if you truly want to have peace of mind while you’re on vacation, your home should be safe and secure before you leave.

Here’s a little trivia for you. During the holiday season, there are over 400,000 cases of burglaries reported. You don’t want to have a police call cut your vacation short. If you want to get the most out of your vacation and enjoy it to the fullest, make sure you keep your home protected.

Homeowners or renters can find these tips useful when they’re leaving their houses empty for quite some time.

Check & Double Check Your Doors & Windows

This is pretty obvious but there’s a shocking number of homeowners who admitted to forgetting this step. When something that looks minor needs repair, we often just put it on our to-do list. However, homeowners often forget these repairs which means that one broken lock at the back won’t get fixed. If you’ve planned your travels already, survey the house for any unsecured or broken door or window locks and repair them to make sure there are no quick and easy entryways for burglars.

Don’t Let the House Look Empty

Criminals will keep watch on their targets before making a move. They go around neighborhoods to look for homes that look vacant. When they see a home that looks like it hasn’t had any activity for some time, this becomes their next target. Avoid being a target by making sure there’s some sort of activity in your house even when you are away. Here’s what we recommend:

● Have a family member, friend, or neighbor check into your house once a day to turn on the lights.

● Ask someone to clear fliers or debris from your doormat.

● Set your lights on a timer. However, for longer vacations, this might become less effective when criminals detect a pattern.

● Clean up around the house and mow your lawn before you leave. If your vacation is longer, get a gardener to do this for you.

● Do not leave your items on the windowsill or out on the lawn. This can signal that you’ve been away for a time.

Set Up a Home Surveillance System

They say prevention is better than cure and this applies to home security. In the United States, intruders break into a home every 23 seconds on average. This is why it is important to get a home surveillance system that you can rely on. Some features that we look for are:

● Cameras: DIfferent surveillance systems use different types of cameras or camera angles. Some have wide lenses that allow you to record a larger area. Make sure you choose one with a camera that suits the layout of your house.

● Connectivity: Smart homes are quickly becoming more and more common with the increase of smart devices in the market. It’s a good idea to sync your smart devices with your home surveillance system so that you can make your house look lived-in even when you’re away. You can watch real-time footage of your home, control your alarms remotely, and control your smart devices through the security portal.

● Full Monitoring: Home surveillance systems that offer full monitoring services ensure that there is someone monitoring your home round the clock and will be ready to respond when needed.

Ask Someone to Visit the House

Although you have all the security precautions set up, it is still a good move to ask someone you trust to look at your home every few days. They might discover some leaks in your bathroom, a looming pest problem that could become a headache, electrical shortage, wild animal attack, and such. If you have plants or pets, they can also give them the required care when you’re away.

Stay Off Social Media

Security professionals mention a common security breach that is happening a lot of the time. In this digital age, most people have their phones in their hands at all times with various social media apps logged. With such a digitally connected era where sharing is done in a few taps of a finer, it is no surprise that there is an increase in crime rates.

Don’t Share Until You’re Back Here

In relation to minimizing what you share on your social platforms, you should consider keeping the trip or vacation private until you’ve returned home safely. It might be the feeling of excitement but it’s best to avoid uploading real-time updates about your beach trip or talking loudly in public about your plans.

Remember to Bring Your Extra Set of Keys

Homeowners usually keep their spare keys in a secret place so that they can still get inside if they are locked out or if they need to give a friend access to their home. In general, this is not really the safest practice especially when you are going away for a long time. It is like an invitation to thieves to pilfer your possessions.

Sensor Lights Are Great Investments

Sensor lights are a great option for keeping your home safe and discouraging burglars to try to get into your home. Any movement will trigger the light which would put them in the spotlight. Flood your home with these sensor lights so you get added security when you are away. There are now home security systems that include sensor lights in their packages. When you’re looking for providers, try to find one that offers both surveillance and light systems.

Review Your Contracts

Before and after you sign a contract, it’s a smart move to look over them. If you’re going on vacation, you should also review your homeowner’s insurance policy to remind yourself which items will be covered if a break-in occurs. If something unfortunate does happen when you’re away, you don’t have to scramble for your documents to determine coverage.

Burglar-Proof Your Blind Spots

Criminals usually gain access to homes through the less secured parts of the house such as drain pipes and lower fences. You can prevent this from happening by investing in anti-climb paint which creates a smooth surface that is very difficult to climb.

You should also get rid of items that could help thieves in accessing your homes such as trash cans, furniture, and benches that could be carried or dragged to an unprotected window You can chain down heavier furniture and bring the smaller ones inside your garage.