Keep Your Home Safe While Traveling

 

According to the FBI, more burglaries occur in July and August than in any other months. This is mainly due to the heavy travel and vacation season. Make sure your home is safe and secure even when you are not home. Easy, preventive home security steps taken prior to travel can help save you from burglaries, home fires, and flooding.

Preventing Home Burglary while Traveling

1. Do not announce your vacation with people you are not personal friends with or in public areas where others can overhear your conversation.
2. Notify a trusted neighbor of your travel dates. Leave a spare key with them in case of any emergency. Ask them for simple favors such as:
   1. Putting your garbage out on garbage day, or their own in front of your house
   2. Clearing away flyers, notes, and packages in the doors and mailboxes
   3. Occasionally parking their car in your drive way
   4. Running your water if there are freezing temperatures
3. Properly close and lock all windows and doors. Use quality deadbolt door locks.
4. Keep your garage door locked at all times, preferably with a deadbolt lock.
5. Do not hide spare keys in mailboxes, under doormats or above doorways.
6. Do not let valuables be seen from the outside of your home.
7. Leave curtains slightly parted so your house doesn't have an empty look.
8. Put mail on hold or get a secure locking mailbox. The post office will hold you mail for a specific time with a simple request. Locked mailboxes with enough storage are better if you frequently travel.
9. Suspend any daily newspapers.
10. Install automatic timers for your lights, radio and TV’s, preferably at random or programmed intervals to create visual and audible deceptions.
11. Install motion-detector outdoor lights around your home. Mount them high enough to prevent intruders from disabling them.
12. Document your valuables either by making a list, taking pictures, or videotaping your house of the high-value items and sentimental items. Store the documents in a security box at the bank or if possible, make multiple copies and store them at a trusted friend or family member’s home.  This will help you file an insurance claim in the event of a lost or stolen item.
13. Mark your valuables with an Operation Identification number. Your local police department can assist you with this. You can engrave or etch your driver’s license number on to valuables, if stolen and later recovered, police can track you down through the Department of Motor Vehicles.
14. Never leave an answering machine message indicating you are not at home, you are on vacation, or you are away and will return on a specific date or time. Instead, just say you "can't come to the phone".

Preventing Home Fires while Traveling

1. Make sure your rain gutters are clear of dry leaves and evergreen needles that can easily catch fire.
2. Turn off and unplug portable heaters, hair dryers, irons, curling or straightening irons, toasters, most kitchen appliances, etc. Air conditioners should be turned off and the heat should be lowered to 60*F. Check the washer and dryer units and turn them off.
3. Turn off all lights and dispose of any oily rags or anything flammable in a safe container. If you have a fireplace, be sure there the flue is completely closed, ashes are cooled, and there is no potential for fire.

Preventing Home Flooding while Traveling

1. Turn off all faucets and fix any linking faucets prior to travel, including faucets outside the house.
2. If freezing temperatures are predicted, open cabinets under the sinks or ones that may be the water pipes. Ask the trusted neighbor who knows you are leaving to, if possible, run your water during a freeze to prevent the pipes from bursting in your house.
3. If you have an indoor hot tub, it may be wise to drain the water out to prevent any leaks or electrical malfunctions.