With the holiday season underway, shopping lists are made, letters to Santa are in the works, and travel plans are being booked. Unfortunately, burglars take advantage of holiday merriment and family visits to prey upon empty homes filled with presents. Keeping your home safe while you’re traveling takes a few small steps that greatly increase your peace of mind.
Keep It Private
It’s tempting to brag about your family get together somewhere fun on social media, but doing so creates an open invitation for burglars to invade when they know you’re gone.
Security Signage
Post signs stating your home is protected even if you don’t actually have a security system. That’s often enough to deter burglars from even trying to break in.
HVAC Maintenance
Have a maintenance inspection of your home’s HVAC system performed before you leave to ensure everything continues to run properly while you’re away. Keeping your home safe while you’re traveling isn’t only about deterring burglars. The last thing you want to come home to is a damaged system.
Light It Up
A home that always has lights on or off is an indication that you’re not home. Put certain lights inside your home on timers to give the appearance that you’re there.
Hide The Evidence
Gifts often come in excessive amounts of packaging, bright wrapping paper, and pretty ribbons. Once these land in the trash, an overflowing trash receptacle on the curb becomes a tell tale sign of new, shiny things in your home. Avoid revealing your gifts and purchases to snooping eyes by being discrete when you dispose of packaging and keep as much of the hi-tech toys away from the windows.
Enlist Neighbors
Ask for help from neighbors while you’re away on holiday trips. Not only can they keep an eye on things for you, but they can also collect mail and park their cars in your driveway to give the appearance that people are home.
Security Cameras
If you’ve taken the steps above and still worry that burglars will target your home, consider installing security cameras in key locations around your home and property. Cameras with WiFi capabilities enable you to check on things remotely so you know everything’s secure.
Contact Bodine-Scott Air Conditioning Co. to schedule HVAC maintenance as part of keeping your home safe while you’re traveling.