Maintaining Home Safety while Traveling
Most people have seen the movie ‘Home Alone’ (and if you haven’t, you should definitely check it out!) about a young boy who is accidentally forgotten at home by his parents and left to fend for himself over the holidays. What made this film so remarkable was not the fact that he was left home in the first place, but rather how well he was able to handle himself and make it appear as if the house were full of people at all times.
Whenever travelling or if you’re ever away from your home for extended periods of time for whatever reason, it’s important to take a note from this movie and make it appear as if there are people home and that they are actively watching over things. Here are a few tips to help ensure that this is done effectively:
‘Keep up with Regular Maintenance
If you have dead leaves or snow covering your driveway and the mail is piling up, that’s a pretty clear sign for thieves that no one is home. If you can ask a friend to house sit and take care of these tasks for you, even better. This way, stuff gets done, plus, you actually have someone in the house, so you don’t have to worry about making it look like someone’s home. If that’s not possible, you’ll at least want to make sure your home is maintained while you’re away. Aside from snow, here are some other maintenance tasks to consider:
- Yard work, like raking leaves
- Watering exterior plants
- Taking out trash cans
- Picking up newspapers
- Picking up mail
Make it Look like Someone’s Inside
At the very least, put your lights on a timer or leave a radio on. Timers are inexpensive and you can schedule them to turn on and off at specific times throughout the day. Also, via YouTube TV, you can link your phone to your home computer or TV to play videos remotely even if you’re not on the same WiFi network.’
Also be mindful about your social posting before you leave your home for an extended period of time; sometimes oversharing can inform the wrong person that your house is vacant and vulnerable. To make sure your home is always safe and secure whether you’re there or not make sure to connect with Security Connection, Ottawa’s home security experts.
