Maybe you are planning to visit your elderly parents for the weekend in another part of the country, and as the whole family will be in tow, your house will be empty for a couple of nights? Perhaps, instead, you live on your own and are attending a conference overseas for a week or more?
Unfortunately, even though cybercrime is still the leading method for immoral thieves and conmen to steal belongings and large amounts of money that do not belong to them, opportunistic burglars wandering around the estate are still operating.
With that being said, read on to learn of three actions to take before leaving your home empty overnight.
1. Know the Potential Risks
One of the best ways to accurately protect your house when unoccupied is to familiarise yourself with the potential risks to your property when you are not there to stop them, and even though this may not be pertinent for your next overnight stay, it is still important to know for the future.
Vulnerabilities attributed to an unoccupied property include:
- Fire (either by arson or due to a faulty heating and gas system)
- Burglary (opportunistic or targeted)
- Vandalism (graffiti or broken windows and doors)
- Water Damage (burst or rusty water pipes)
- Squatters (when the property is unattended for a longer period of time)
2. Upgraded Locks Everywhere!
Next, if you have not had a locksmith visit your home for many years, or indeed still use the same locks and keys attached to the property when you bought the house. It is time to get your hand in your pocket and upgrade the locks.
You could even look into investing in smart locks, especially useful for the front door with a smart doorbell. Both will deter opportunistic burglars and allow you to view the exterior of your home wherever you are in the world.
Additionally, you should also look into vehicle immobilisations from Tracking Doctor to ensure that if the worst happens and if your car is taken from your drive, the criminals will be apprehended quickly, and your expensive machine will be retrieved.
3. Weather Dependent Precautions
When you and the rest of your family are embarking upon a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to foreign climes, part and parcel of thorough home security is dependent, believe it or not, on the time of year your trip is taking place.
In the summer, before you leave, make sure that you mow the grass at both the front. At the back of your property, speak to the neighbours about removing the mail from the visible glass panels on the front door and asking them to put the wheelie bins out and bring them back in again when needed.
When leaving your home during winter, especially during a particularly severe temperature drop, ensure that every tap is tightly switched off, that there is enough insulation around your pipes to the central heating system, and that you leave the airing cupboard and under-sink cupboards open.
