There's nothing better than going on vacation and if you're planning to squeeze in some time away before summer's end, it's important to take the necessary steps to protect your home while you're on holiday.
10 ways to protect your home
The idea is to not advertise that you're going away and to make your house look as normal and lived-in as possible. Let's take a look at some easy ways that will help protect your home and allow you to have a worry-free vacation.
- Don't announce that you're going on vacation via social media. Tell only close friends and family in person.
- If you're going to post on social media while you're away, be mindful of what you post as well as who can see it. Double check your privacy settings. Remember to disable your location settings as well, so no one can see where you're posting from.
- Before you leave mow the lawn, trim the hedges and rake if necessary. A home with a yard that is usually well manicured that is suddenly unkempt is a tell-tale sign that you're away. If you'll be gone for a couple of weeks or more, it may be worth getting someone to cut your grass while you're away too.
- Set automatic timers for lighting around the home and make it look natural (only the lights you would normally have on). Also keep the perimeter of your home as well lit as possible at night.
- Decide whether or not you're going to keep your curtains open or closed while you're away. Although keeping the curtains closed prevents anyone from being able to look inside, having them open looks more normal.
- Suspend (or cancel) delivery of your newspaper.
- Collect your mail while you're gone. A mailbox full of flyers and bills is a strong indicator that no one is home.
- Put out your garbage or recycling bin, as this will add to the illusion that someone is home.
- Park in your driveway occasionally.
- Enter your house periodically. This has two benefits: first, if there's anyone paying attention they'll see that there is someone coming and going hiding the fact you're away, and two, if anything goes awry in your house (like your water heater breaking down) they'll be able to mitigate any damages that may occur.
Ask a family member, close friend or trusted neighbour to:
Your home is set, are you?
Now that you're set up to protect your home while on holiday, don't forget to buy travel insurance before you leave. At minimum, everyone should have supplementary emergency travel insurance when leaving the country. Travel protected, with travel insurance.
