How to Protect Your Home While Traveling Abroad

Whether you travel for work or pleasure, you need to make sure your home is secure while you’re away. Although home security is an issue, the good news is there are plenty of ways to reduce the likelihood of a break-in and improve your home security in general. Most burglars will take one look at a house with motion-sensing lights and look elsewhere for a target.  

Monitored Security System

A monitored security system is the latest form of security system to protect your home. In the past, security systems consisted of intruder alarms; but nowadays, the alarm is connected to a network of supervisors ready to take action when a security system is breached by an intruder. 

When the security systems register movement on the premises or a breach in the windows and doors, an alarm sounds, and a message is sent to the security service. Hopefully, the alarm sounds alert neighbors and scare off intruders. Wasatch Defense Lawyers might be in touch. 

Reduce Empty Signs

Summer is the peak time for break-ins because people are away from their homes for long periods, and neighbors aren’t always aware of when they are home. That’s not the case for professional criminals who may monitor the house or collect vacation information from online. 

To reduce the chances of encountering a break-in when you’re away from home, take every measure to ensure that your home looks occupied from the inside and the outside. Steps you can use include preventing mail and trash from building up and parking a car in the driveway.   

Neighborhood Watch

Not every street has a neighborhood watch program, and while this doesn’t mean neighbors won’t be looking out for each other, it does mean that your home is relatively less safe than a street that has a neighborhood watch system with a regular meeting and visible signs around. 

If you don’t have a neighborhood watch system on your street, you can set one up quite easily. First, join a neighborhood watch network and learn how to organize a local meeting. Not only does neighborhood watch make your community safer, it creates awareness and builds stronger relationships.   

Electronic Timers

Whether you are away for a short time or many months, it’s a good idea to install some electronic timers in your home. Electronic timers are electrical devices that switch on the light when nobody is there, giving the impression there is someone in your home when it’s empty. 

When criminals watch potential targets, they are looking for signs of an empty property that they can hit at a convenient time. When they see lights coming on, it’s a deterrent because even if they know the lights are timed, it still creates an additional obstacle for them to break in.   

Outside Maintenance

Again, if you want to give the impression that someone is occupying the property when you’re away from home, it’s a sensible idea to plan in some outside maintenance while you’re away. Contact a Gardner to come and mow the lawn when you’re on vacation, or ask a neighbor. 

Additional outside maintenance also helps to keep your home looking presentable and lived in while it’s unoccupied. Consider offering some jobs to the kids in the local neighborhood; for a small fee, they can sweep leaves from your driveway or make a path to your door if it snows. 

Avoid Social Media

Social media is addictive; not only do we want to check it every two minutes to see what our friends are up to, but we also want to share our own news – especially if that means heading off for an enjoyable vacation in the sun. Maybe you’ve heard, but this is bad for your home security.  

Social media is an amazing invention in many ways, but posting your vacation photos there while you’re away only encourages criminals to sniff out an opportunity. If anything, post some things that indicate you’re in the neighborhood and not on the other side of the world having fun.

Smart Lighting

Timed lighting is an excellent security measure, but in some ways, it’s outdated technology; that’s because smart lighting exists that allows you to operate the lighting in your home remotely via an app. LED bulbs also allow you to switch on a vacation mode to mimic normal lights. 

The majority of burglaries happen during the night on properties that have limited security infrastructure. While any house can be burgled in theory, criminals are much more likely to attack a home without smart lighting or with minimal protection. So invest in some smart lights.

Driveway Gravel

Driveway gravel has excellent street appeal, but it’s also functional. If you’ve ever set foot on driveway gravel before, you will know the crunchy sound it makes; it’s very difficult for a burglar to walk across the driveway inconspicuously – even at night – when you have some gravel down. 

Driveway gravel is a very easy and cost-effective security solution. While it’s not the first thing you think of when you consider your home security – that’s probably a home alarm system – it’s worth serious consideration alongside outside lighting, smart lighting, or door and window locks.  

Avoid key Stashing

If you’ve ever locked yourself outside your home accidentally, you are probably inclined to stash a spare key somewhere nearby so that it doesn’t happen again. Needless to say, this is not good for your security, especially when you are heading off for a few weeks in the sun. It’s better to leave your keys with a friend, family member, or neighbor instead of under a mat or in a pot.  

Smart Locks

If you need someone to enter your home while you are away, consider installing a smart lock. Smart locks are excellent for security without handling any keys. If you have a house sitter or a cat sitter, all you have to do is send them a security code that they can use while you are away. When you return, simply cancel the codes. There’s no need for keys that risk security issues.