Tips to protect your Home while you are away

When you go on holiday, rest and relaxation should be top of your priority list, not worrying about your home and valuables left unguarded!

To help ease your mind, we've pulled together a list of 10 things you can do to protect your home while you are on holiday.

1. Get a home alarm or monitoring system.

Studies It has been proven that homes fitted with a burglar alarm have fewer break-ins than similar homes, in the same area, without alarms. There are many options to choose from, monitored or unmonitored. If you don't have an alarm, consider fitting one and always use a register supplier. Also, having a smoke alarm is important incase of electrical fires while you are away.

2. Keep up on regular home and garden maintenance.

If you are going away for longer than a week or two, consider getting someone in to cut your grass or maintain your lawn.

3. Leave a key with a friend or family member.

You can expect plenty of post while you are away and maybe some random flyers and delayed eCommerce purchases that will be left at the front door. By having a trusted friend or family member stop by every few days, you can avoid leaving a give-away pile of post inside the door or unexpected deliveries being left out on the doorstep.

4. Keep a low profile on social media.

Don't make it easy for burglars to know that you and your whole family are away! Maybe leave the gloating until you get back and maybe even more importantly double-check your social media sites to make sure that your address is not visible.

5. Lock up valuables in a safe.

Not a guarantee that your valuables will be secure, but it's safer than your sock drawer! If getting a safe isn't possible, consider putting valuables somewhere unusual like a bathroom cabinet or a kitchen press in an inconspicuous container.

6. Don't leave out a key.

It might seem like an obvious one, but do not leave out a key for burglars to use. Lots of people leave a key in a hidden spot near a door but if you are not at home, that "secret" spot may be found by a burglar. If you leave out a key normally, take it away before you travel.

7. Install an outdoor sensor light.

These are simple and inexpensive to install. Motion-sensor floodlights can also be useful (and make your garden safer) year-round.

8. Set up timers on some indoor lights

Maybe put a radio on one too to give the impression that someone is home every night.

9. Lock the garage and back gate

You don't want to give burglars easy access to the back of your house or a door that they can work on without being seen.

10. Advertise your security.

If you have invested in a security system, let burglars know! This may be enough to deter them and make them go somewhere else. Post these stickers near your most obvious and accessible entry points like your front and back door.