Vacation Safety Tips

Enjoying your vacation begins with securing your home before you leave.  Here are some easy tips to keep your home safe while your away having a wonderful time:

1. Be careful about who you tell of your vacation plans or who may be listening when you are discussing the plans with someone else.  This includes Social Media.  Do not announce your vacation on social media.  Privacy settings change all the time on those sites, and you never know who can read your status or see your photo uploads that announce that you are not at home.  Wait until you return to post photos and comment on your amazing time away.
2. Keep eyes on your property.  Have someone in the area check your house periodically. 
3. Arm your security system.  Monitoring your home is what we do, and with the ability to get text alerts on your smartphone, and even view cameras, there is no reason not to use the technology you have.
4. Maintain a “lived in” look of your house while you are away.  Timers on lights is a great idea.  Also, turn the ringer down on your phone, as an unanswered phone might clue a potential thief into the fact that you aren't there!
5. Don't hide a key.  It's really not a good idea.  We've got keyless entry systems if you want someone to have a code to get in, or you could unlock the door remotely from your smartphone.  Hiding a key under the mat may have been okay in 1982, but it's not now.
6. The exterior of your home should be free from offering concealment to a burglar. A house with doors and windows in full view is a psychological deterrent. Intruders are forced to work in the open where the risks of detection are higher. Don't leave valuables such as lawn mowers, bicycles or tools in the yard or in an open or unlocked garage or shed (your tools could be used to break into your home).
7. Turn off or unplug your garage door opener. If you have an attached garage, lock the door between the garage and the rest of your home.
8. Stop mail and newspaper delivery.  The Postal Service will hold your mail for up to 30 days. You can stop your mail in person at any post office or request Hold Mail Service online.
9. Always notify the police if you're going on vacation. Call them if you're leaving town for longer than a week. You may also want to contact your local neighborhood watch program if there's one in your area.
10. Again, don't post your photos or status updates on Social Media.

Enjoy your vacation, and e-mail us if we can help boost your security before you leave.