1. Stop mail or ensure that it is collected regularly and not overflowing in your letterbox. Alternatively, setup mail redirection or mail hold for the duration of your holiday.
2. Cancel deliveries such as newspapers. Uncollected newspapers can be one of the most prominent signs of an empty home.
3. Let trusted neighbours know that you are going to be away, for how long, and how to contact you in case of an emergency.
4.Consider a house-sitter, relative, neighbour or friend to attend every few days and look after your home while you’re away:
5. Ensure ladders and other garden tools that may be used to break into your house are secured away. Remember to lock the shed and garage.
6. Turn down or turn off the home telephone volume so that burglars cannot hear it ringing. Alternatively, setup call diversions to your mobile number if possible.
7. On your answering machine, don’t say ‘We are on holidays and will be back on…’, instead say ‘We can’t come to the phone right now’.
8. Be wary of posting holiday plans on social media. Announcements on social media act as advertisements that your home is vacant.
9. Setup timers for:
- Interior lamps or lights to turn on at night, to make it look as if somebody is inside
- Radio to turn on and off during the day
10. Security:
- Install exterior sensor lights.
- Install good quality locks on all doors and windows, and double-check them before leaving.
- Install a security alarm system, preferably one with back to base monitoring so you know you’re in safe hands and there is an alarm response action in the event of an incident.
- Install a CCTV System so you can keep an eye on things when you are not there and ensure to place security signage in visible locations.