Don’t let home safety worries ruin your vacation

Most of us have a friend or family member who has a horror story about coming home from a vacation to find that there has been a security breach. Not only are these stories cringe-worthy from a financial perspective, but they leave us feeling worried about own safety.

Whether you’re preparing for a quick weekend getaway or an extended trip, here are some things to consider before you lock-up-shop

  • Keep your neighbours informed. If they know that you will be away, they will be on high alert if they see activity at your home or note anything suspicious. If you have a good relationship with them you can even ask if they would be okay collecting your mail if you are taking an extended trip.
  • Add light timers for your external lights. Consider a time or two for your internal lights as well to help give the illusion that someone is home when they are not. Make sure that your timer works on random intervals. It will defeat the purpose if your lights turn on and off at exactly the same time every night.
  • For an extended trip have a neighbour, friend or family member shovel the snow or mow the lawn in your absence. Nothing tips off someone looking to burglar a home more than visible evidence that there hasn’t been anyone there.
  • Make sure that all of your locks – on both doors and windows- are in good shape and work properly. If you need to replace your locks, call Pop-A-Lock and connect with a locksmith professional. Ensuring that your locks are solid and secure can help to deter someone looking for an easy break-and-enter.
  • If you are going away on vacation make sure to put a hold on your newspapers. A collection of mail is a great signal that the home is unoccupied.
  • Do not advertise travel plans on social media platforms.
  • Do not leave a spare key out
  • Ensure the garage door is locked
  • Don’t have your home address programmed into your GPS. If you are leaving your car at the airport and it gets stolen, having “home” set up in your navigation system will simply lead the thief back to your home.

To keep your home safe and secure, contact a Pop-A-Lock near you by searching on Pop-A-Lock.ca by city name or postal code.