For Australians, the time to get away from the cold winter is during December to February, a time when many people leave their homes and enjoy the hot summer weather of countries in the northern hemisphere. They holiday makers are joyful and expect to spend a very enjoyable time. There is only one snag; they have to leave their homes unattended and at the mercy of burglars. The holiday season is their prime hunting time for valuable wealth left in vacated homes.
At Complete Alarms we know that vacation time is relished and you should be able to enjoy your holidays without constantly worrying about the status of your house. In addition to the availability of our CCTV surveillance systems, we also offer you several important tips for securing your home during your absence:
- Notify the police – phone the nearest police station or better still, go visit them face to face and tell them of your intention to go on vacation and ask them to conduct a periodic check on your house. You should also inform your neighbours and tell them where you are going, for how long and your expected date of return. Ask them also to be attentive to your property during the whole time you are absent.
- Enliven your house – a quiet and dark house will betray an empty house and this is a prime signal for any burglar. An empty house is easy prey perhaps not for one but several burglars. Dispel the gloomy quietness of your house and deliberately lead burglars to believe that people are still in the house.
- Do not erase or change the alert messages you sent out earlier in the day letting your friends and family know that you are going on vacation. Tell the mail deliverer to hold onto your mail at the office until you return and ask your neighbour to collect your newspapers until you return. Also ask them to cut your lawn when they are cutting theirs. Your failure to attend to these 3 important areas will result in piled up mail, newspapers strewn everywhere and a long grass lawn. All of them are potential alert beacons to burglars that someone is amiss.
- Alternatively, you can ask a trusted neighbour to look after your home during your absence, collect the mails and newspapers and leave sufficient hint that someone else is in the house. A faked on-going conversation or occasional yelling out of your name should amicably do the trick.
- A car that is constantly moved to different positions can also provide a convincing decoy for robbers who will think that the person in the house is still within. Ask your house sitter to move your car periodically to different parking sites around the house grounds.
- Some people think that placing keys at different hiding places like the doormat or flower pot, but in most cases, these are the very places where a thief will look. The best way to solve this problem is by giving it to a trusted neighbour or friend to look after it until your return. Another often committed fault is leaving information on your house key. The information can be traced back to the key owner and the house!
Leaving your house to go abroad is serious business and should be treated as such. Be very meticulous in your preparations to ensure the security of your home when you do go on vacation.
If you want extra assistance for when you go abroad on vacation, we can provide you with the equipment and information you need to secure your house Call us now on (02) 8091 3388 and we will give you the assistance you need.
