It's that time of year, everyone is making plans and taking trips. We all look forward to our family vacations for months on end. Even weekend get-a-ways or overnight trips can help us beat mid-week blues. One thing to keep in mind among all the excitement of packing, leaving and spending time with friends and family is protecting your home.
Law enforcement agencies continuously report a large increase in home burglaries and break in's during the summer months, due to the fact that many people are on vacation and criminals know how to track this.
It's very simple to protect your home from harm even when you aren't there. Like many other things with your home, it just requires common sense and advanced preparation.
- Put your lights on a timer- I know it can be tempting to turn everything off to lower your energy bills especially since you'll be away, but no signs of lights in a home can lead robbers to your home. It's an obvious sign that they have a free pass and can't get caught by the homeowners. Putting your lights on a timer will save more energy than leaving them on but will also cut down and make it less obvious that your place of residency is empty.
-Have a neighbor or friend collect your mail and newspaper- Mail and newspaper piling up for days or weeks at a time can also be a dead give-a-way that you're away. Have someone pick them up to make it less obvious and less inviting for anyone unwanted looking to enter.
- Tell a close or trusted neighbor- make sure you find someone you trust, who lives nearby and tell them that you'll be out of town. Leave them your phone number and ask them to report anything sketchy if it arises.
- Create records- just like in pre-storm situations, if you know you're going to be a way for a while, it's not a bad idea to take a video or inventory of what's in your house and the condition you're leaving it in.
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