We’re a nation of holiday lovers. With Britons taking over 45 million holiday trips to chase the sun, visit new places, or return to their favourite staycation spots every year, it’s never been more important to enjoy your downtime safe in the knowledge that your home is secure while you’re away.
Office for National Statistics data shows that while 45.6 million holidays were taken by UK residents in 2022, many households have also had to face the threat of burglary within the same timeframe.
Some 191,490 residential burglaries took place in England and Wales for the year ending March 2023, and holidaymakers can often face a greater threat of intrusion from opportunistic burglars sensing that nobody’s home.
While you should never let the fear of burglary stop you from getting some much-needed time to unwind and relax, there are many intelligent measures you can take to ensure that your property is safe while you’re away.
With this in mind, let’s explore some key tips for keeping your home protected against the threat of burglary:
1. Manage Your Lighting Accordingly
Leaving your lights on when you’re going away is always a good way of ensuring that your home looks occupied and can only help to deter burglars.
Despite its effectiveness, keeping your lights on at home while you’re away for many days on end can run up a costly energy bill. Fortunately, there are plenty of choices when it comes to timed lighting arrangements.
Buying a timer that you can set to turn lights on over a certain schedule can be a great way of managing your home lighting.
If you’re a frequent flier and are looking for more autonomy, BeON LED Bulbs can learn your lighting schedule to turn on lamps without you even needing to flick a switch. The lights also feature an embedded microphone that can be configured to automatically switch on when it hears the sound of your doorbell.
2. Are Your Doors Secure Enough?
76% of intruders gain access to properties through the door, and it’s for this reason that you should always assess the security of your doors and locks over time.
Strong doors that are made from solid wood tend to stay firm in the face of pressure, while composite doors that are made of different materials can also stay stronger for longer.
If you’re away from home often, it could be worth investing in a deadbolt lock for your door, which can be expertly installed by any quality locksmith local to you. This will help to prevent intruders from gaining brute force access to your home, without coming at a significant cost. Check out Rated Locksmiths for locksmiths close to you.
3. Be Careful About Sharing Your Holiday on Social Media
We all love to share our holiday experiences on social media. It can be a great way of storing great memories forever and sharing some of the stunning views with your friends and family. However, it’s important to be wary of who else may be able to see your posts.
While a picture of the view from your balcony and a caption sharing that you’ve just arrived on a two-week beach vacation can seem innocuous enough, you’re in danger of broadcasting the fact that you’ll be away from your home for a long time.
Fortunately, most social networks offer more control over who can see your posts, and it can be a good idea to share your pictures with close friends only while you’re away before uploading your pictures in full once you’re home.
If you’re an avid social media user and want to share your experiences online, just remember to avoid explicitly sharing how long you’ll be away. Speaking about your uploads in the past tense can help prevent criminals from knowing that you’re away from home at any given moment.
4. Curtains Open or Closed?
Although many people believe that keeping your curtains closed when you’re away prevents burglars from seeing your valuables inside, it risks sending a message to them that you’re not home if your curtains are drawn in the daytime.
Once they gain entry to your property, the closed curtains will have the opposite effect because nobody in your neighbourhood will be able to see them or suspect that anything’s taking place inside.
Keeping your curtains open with timed lights is a good way of creating the illusion that you’re home every evening.
5. Neighbours can Help to Keep Watch
You don’t need a functioning neighbourhood watch to keep your home safe from burglars. Having one or two reliable neighbours to get in touch with can be a great way to gain peace of mind.
While your neighbours won’t be able to watch your home 24/7, they’ll be able to message you if something suspicious happens or if they feel that something’s wrong.
6. Video Doorbells are the Perfect Deterrent
When it comes to affordability, there’s no better deterrent than a video doorbell. Because most video doorbells are capable of recording movement as well as anybody who presses the button, you can gain instant visuals of any suspicious activity outside your home.
Burglars are well aware of the difficulties that video doorbells pose in their bid to access a property and many decide against targeting a house that may be capable of identifying them on a cloud-based recording later on.
7. Frequent Flier? Check Your Home Insurance
It’s always a good idea to make sure you have a level of home insurance that suits your needs. If you’re frequently out of the house, it could be worth checking to see if there are any exclusions that could make your plan void such as being away from home for a certain number of days.
Keeping on top of your home insurance plan is essential for avoiding a costly oversight should the worst happen.
Don’t be Afraid to Check if Something Doesn’t Feel Right
Did your video doorbell pick up some strange footage? Has your local community social media group claimed that a series of burglaries have taken place locally? If you feel that something isn’t quite right, don’t be afraid to ask a friend, family member, or neighbour to take a quick look at your home.
This can provide you with peace of mind. However, by following these tips you can stand the best chance of enjoying your holiday safe in the knowledge that your home’s as secure as possible.
