Five Ways To keep your home safe when going on holiday

As someone who travels a bit there’s sometimes that nagging feeling in the back of your mind – “Did I lock the door properly when I left?!” Well, this got me thinking about the other ways you can secure your place when you’re away (beyond actually using a key!) which might help alleviate some stress. So here’s my top five…

Social Media – Don’t sell the fact that you are out and about
If you’re heading off for the envy-inducing 3-week trip to somewhere exotic, fight the urge to show off and don’t advertise it on social media, or at least ensure your posts are private and there’s no way anyone can find out your address online. If they can, there might be a disappointing surprise awaiting your return from the sunshine…

Leave Some Lights On – Use timers, or keep certain lights on.
I know it might be bad for the environment, but using a bit of lighting can help with illusion that you’re still home having the time of your life on your sofa, it’s just like your own Home Alone! Timers are also an intelligent option, but for a no-nonsense approach, just leaving the odd light on will probably be a decent alternative.

Garden – Make sure not to leave out any climbing equipment, or outdoor furniture that can be used to climb walls (bins, chairs, steps) in the garden
If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, be careful what you leave out. You might want to have a pre-vacay garden party to make all your friends jealous, but remember to tidy away the garden furniture, as that lovely chair, table or step-ladder could be fiendishly hijacked to invade your dwelling while you’re sunning yourself in lands far away.

Leave the House Safely – Check that windows are locked and that appliances are switched off
If you’re like me and have a tendency to leave the oven on, do a quick check before you leave to avoid any fiery consequences, and while you’re checking those things, confirm all your windows/doors are locked properly, and most importantly, actually closed. This is a bit of a thing for me, as my OCD kicks in and I tend to take snaps on my phone to prove I actually locked and turned off everything as sometimes my brain likes so pretend I haven’t!

Valuables – Leave them in a secured place and well away from windows
Pretty common sense one, but if you’ve got fancy laptops, cameras or game consoles, or have a habit of draping your finest jewellery about the place like royalty, keep it well hidden, or even better, secured in a discreet place, or even in a safe for that extra protection and peace of mind.

Secure Your House – Alarm systems and cameras
Last but definitely not least is the full-on sense of safety you get from the threat of loud alarm bells ringing and cameras to capture any naughtiness in your absence. In the good old days you used to be able to count on your kind neighbours to scare away any potential nastiness, but with hardly any of us even talking to the next door, especially in the big cities, it’s time for technology to come to the rescue. There’s even high-tech apps that can link your camera and security system to your phone, so you can sip on those cocktails while being your own security watchman.

What’s your number one thing that puts you at ease with your house security when you’re away?