How To Keep Your House Secure When You’re Away

How To Secure Your Home When On Holiday?

34% Of burglars enter homes through the front door, 60% of burglars admit that the presence of a security system deterred them and 87% of burglaries are considered preventable. With these figures in mind, having a security system in place to protect your home is an obvious advantage when trying to keep your home, family, and belongings safe.

Whether you’re going on holiday or are on a business trip, your house is a lot less secure than you would assume. So, what should you do to protect it when it’s at its most vulnerable? In this article, we will be discussing the best ways to secure your house whilst you are away.

1. Why Is Home Security Important?
2. How To Make Your House Secure Without An Alarm?
3. How To Make Your House More Secure?
4. 1. Sorting Out Your Front Garden
5. 2. Having An Alarm System
6. 3. Locking Your Windows And Doors
7. 4. Leaving Your Car On Your Drive
8. 5. Don’t Post About Going Away On Social Media
9. 6. Using Smart Lights
10. 7. Locking Your Valuables In A Safe

Why Is Home Security Important?

Home security is important to have because it helps to add an extra layer of protection to your property. Home security can also help homeowners feel a bit safer and protected. Some of the most home security methods are using home security systems such as alarms, lights or CCTV cameras. 

How To Make Your House Secure Without An Alarm?

Although home security alarms are a common method for home safety they can be expensive. There are other security methods you can use instead, these are:

• Using Security Lights
• Keeping All Your Valuables Out Of Site.
• Reinforcing Your Windows.
• Having A Dog For Security.
• Using A Post Security Signage.

How To Make Your House More Secure?

There are many ways that you can make your home more secure. Below, we have listed our top 7 tips for keeping your home secure whilst you’re away.

1. Sorting Out Your Front Garden

First of all, if you have a front garden or one that is easily visible to the general public, sorting this out should be a relatively easy but still important task. By sorting it out, we mean to mow and de-weed it before leaving, depending on how long you are gone for, or organising someone to come in and sort it for you whilst you are away.

The reason this is important is that an unkempt lawn is the first and biggest sign that nobody is home, with tall grass and weeds attracting unwanted eyes. Especially given how easy of a task this is as well, this shouldn’t be too difficult of a task to sort out.

2. Having An Alarm System

Alarm systems are some of the most potent forms of security that you can have in your household. Being capable of detecting any kind of motion and alerting you, either through a smartphone app or some other form of communication, alarm systems will keep you in the know about your house.

The other capability is the alarm siren itself; burglars thrive in quiet, dark environments so them setting a very loud alarm off will massively deter them from the property. You can also discuss with your neighbours what they should do if they hear the alarm going off if they should call the police or go to check on things.

There are a lot of different types of alarm systems with some containing cameras, these can be useful in case of pets which might trigger the system. Being able to see who is in your house gives you a better idea of whether to sound the alarm or not.

3. Locking Your Windows and Doors

This may seem like an obvious step but locking your windows and doors is something a lot of people don’t pay enough attention to. Whilst locking them should be a default action, ensuring your locks are up to the task is something that should also be considered.

There are a variety of different forms of locking mechanisms, and with older houses, some of them may be easy to unlock for a skilled burglar. This is where things like reinforcement locks come in, stopping people from entering even if they have a key. They can also bolster the physical endurance of the door, preventing it from succumbing to forced entry. All in all, there should be a lot of extra care taken to keep your house locked up tight when going away for a while.

4. Leaving Your Car On Your Drive

Leaving a car on the drive is a sure-fire indicator that someone is home, if you are in the fortunate position to have another car to leave at home, this could be a powerful deterrent. Otherwise, it might be useful to ask a neighbour if they don’t mind parking on your drive or in front of your house for the duration of your holiday.

It has been shown that having a car on the drive is something that will immediately prevent a burglar from looking anymore into the property. Just make sure the car is in a visible place and this can add yet another small pillar to keeping your home safe.

5. Don’t Post About Going Away On Social Media

This is more of a precaution than a strict security measure but make sure you don’t go posting about your holiday on social media until you get back.

The reason for this is that word spreads fast and having your holiday plans online makes you an easy target for burglars. They often time use social media to scout out potential properties, with people posting all sorts of pictures and information, it isn’t difficult to get a good scope on a place without even entering it.

6. Using Smart Lights

Smart lights are lights that you are able to program to turn off or on at various intervals. Often people have smart lights in their homes for convenience, but they can also be used and programmed to be turned on or off even when you aren’t at home.

The reason you would want to do this is similar to the reason you would want to keep a car on the drive, for the illusion that someone is in the house. Having lights on timers will allow you to adjust whether the house looks empty or not, as this might help to deter intruders.

7. Locking Your Valuables In A Safe

Locking valuables in a safe is a controversial element of security as safes are often the first things to be sniffed out and stolen by thieves. In this instance, using an unassuming safe to lock personal belongings in would be the most secure way to protect these. When I say personal belongings, I mean things like family photo albums, important documents, and anything else that doesn’t have much value to a criminal but has a lot of value to you.

And that is our checklist for making sure you can keep your personal effects safe during your holiday away! There are a lot of elements we didn’t discuss but each household is different, so we just wanted to cover the essentials that every household needs.

To keep updated with all the latest safety tips and guides check out our news page where you can find articles about keeping your garden secure and what are the best home security products. 

Or feel free to check out more safety tip videos on our YouTube channel.