Leaving Town? Securing Your Home While You're Gone
It's only March, but not too soon to start thinking about your summer
vacation plans. For many people that means relaxing, fun-filled trips
away from everyday routines. But it can also mean being gone from your
home for an extended period of time, which has one reader asking, "What
are recommendations for the best way to safely and efficiently close
down a home for several months at a time?"
Even if you live
in a gated community, leaving your home vacant for an extended period
of time can be a huge risk, a costly lesson and an emotional heartache.
So the best way to close down a home is to make it look like it is
being lived in daily, even though you're away.
Here are some security tips compiled from insurance companies, homeowners and law enforcement agencies.
Stop all
deliveries such as mail and newspapers -- this is a very simple thing
to do, but it is frequently overlooked by homeowners. When they're gone
papers pile up indicating that no one has been home for a while.
Set indoor and outdoor lights and even TVs on timers
to come on and light up rooms of your home and exterior surroundings.
Nothing says nobody is home like a dark house. A television or radio
that's set to come on periodically makes anyone lurking around think
that someone is home.
Turn down the telephone ringer on your phone and the volume on your answering machine.
Unplug automatic garage door openers. Burglars can
sometimes figure out the code and gain easy access to your home. Also
lock any doors from the garage that give access to the house.
Do not close all the blinds, shutters or curtains; leaving them partially open gives an everyday-lived-in look.
If you have a willing neighbor, ask him to occasionally
park in your driveway. Burglars will often survey a home at different
times and on different days to study traffic patterns.
Keep your landscaped trimmed back. Overgrown trees and
shrubs are not only a fire hazard but also a great hiding spot for
burglars. While you're gone have a gardener maintain the landscape.
Install extra safety fastening devices on sliding doors, windows and other openings.
Use your security system. If you don't have one, buy
one. A good security alarm system that is connected to a dispatch
center usually will qualify you for a discount on your homeowner's
insurance.
Put a "beware of dog" sign on your fence; even if you don't have a dog, this can be a good deterrent.
Never leave a key under the mat, in a nearby planter,
etc. -- or any other common, well-known hiding places. Many burglars
don't have to force entry into a home; instead they enter through
open/unlocked doors and windows or even with a key, if it's left out
for them!
The vital element to keeping your home burglar proof is making it
as difficult as possible to break into. Burglars look for easy targets
-- leaving a home unattended for a long period of time can put your
house in the easy-target category. However, if you take precautions to
secure your home before you leave, you'll have greater success keeping
a burglar out of your house.
Written by Phoebe Chongchua
Wondering What Your Home Is Worth? -- Let me show you.