Protecting Your Home While Vacationing: 5 Tips How

With summer just around the corner, more and more people are planning their weekend getaways, vacation, or even a safari overseas. This means many homes will be left unattended for extended periods of time. Unlike the November and December holidays, leaving your home in summer exposes it to risks such as burglary and unauthorized entry. The highest number of thefts are reported during this time of the year when families are on weekend getaways or away for vacation. Ensuring all the door and window locks are in good working condition is one of the best ways to protect your home from such incidences. Discussed below are a few expert tips on how to leave/keep your home protected while vacationing.

1. Create an illusion someone is home.

According to Houston residential locksmiths, creating an illusion that someone is in the house can help deter burglars and other malicious individuals. Some of the best ways to do this is by having an automatic light timer installed in all rooms (particularly the living room), leaving a car parked in the driveway, having someone maintain your lawn, and putting a hold of your mail. While it may seem like nothing, doing this will do an excellent job in keeping people away from your compound and home.

2. Go mute on social media.

Many of us take to social media whenever faced with a challenge or out having some fun. While this may seem like the right thing to do, the information shared reaches not only your friends but also some unscrupulous people. While you can lock down privacy setting to allow only close friends and family to see your feeds, it would be advisable to go mute on social media while away. Simple things such as sharing details of where you will be going and for how long can attract malicious people into the compound.

3. Have a close friend or relative check in once in a while.

Always make it a habit to alert someone you can trust whenever heading out, and even leave them with a copy of keys to your house. Having a trusted friend, family member, or neighbor check in your house once in a while, and leaving the lights timer activated can help create the illusion that someone is home. Aside from this, ensure the trusted friend or neighbor has your contacts should there be an emergency.

4. Keep valuables in safe in a safe.

Important documents, heirlooms, jewelry, and other valuables should be kept safe at all times. Expert locksmiths in Houston recommend keeping all these in a fireproof safe. The fireproof safe provides additional security should there be a fire while you are away.

5. Unplug everything.

Most house fires occur as a result of power surges and electronics left plugged into the mains. Unplugging all non-essential electronics from the mains is one way to prevent such disasters from happening. Next, consider turning the main water supply off to reduce the risk of flooding and water damage. Perishables in the refrigerator should be disposed of especially if headed out for more than a week. While all non-essential electronics should be turned off or unplugged, the AC should be turned up to help keep the house warm. Experts recommend setting it at 85 degrees.

Although there’s no surefire way to safeguard your home from disasters and burglars, following the tips outlined above to the letter can help prevent major disasters and emergencies while away. Doing this makes it easy for you to enjoy every moment of your vacation without worrying about your home’s security. Have a locksmith outfit your home with some of the best and strongest locks in the market, or change the locks just to be safe before leaving.

To provide you with a better idea of the services Pop-A-Lock Houston provides, you can contact us or call today at 713-722-0060!