Tips to keep your home safe and secure during the (mid-year) holiday season
By Alison Burgess

15/07/2019 1:00pm

 

The winter months in Adelaide are often a time of the year where many of us take that mid-year getaway to warmer shores, but with the sea change and warmer weather often comes a little anxiety about the safety and security of our home while we’re out of town.

 

There are some things you can do to reduce the risk of anything untoward happening to your home while you’re away, so here are our top 3 suggestions of things to do prior to leaving.

 

Tell friends, family and neighbours you’ll be away

 

There’s no substitute for trusted people physically keeping an eye on things. It’s important to have a physical presence at your home even if only for parts of the day to help deter anything unwanted from happening. Having someone you trust drive past and stop to bring in the mail, water the plants, and have a general check of the house regularly is very important.

 

Timer lights

 

A great way to make a house appear lived-in and occupied is to have lights set to come on at certain times in the evening when normally you would turn on lights in the home. This creates the appearance that someone is home and that the house is not vacant. It’s good to set the timer for different times on different days too.

 

Secure the property

 

It may seem an obvious thing, but it is so important to ensure that all the doors and windows are properly locked and secured, and this includes things like the garden shed and garage, as well as the home. It is easy to overlook some of these areas that we may not inhabit daily, but in the interests of keeping all your belongings secure, it is a must.

 

 

Ultimately, a multi-stage approach is the best, but if we had to pick one there is no substitute for friends, family and neighbours being aware you’re away and keeping a close eye on your home. At the end of the day, a holiday should be a time to relax and unwind so being comfortable that your most valuable asset is being properly cared for will be a big load off your mind.