Safe Simple Secure

Here are our top 10 tips for keeping your home safe while on holiday:

1 Leave curtains open or closed?

 Many people have the strong belief that you should close your curtains when you are away so that a burglar cannot see in.  However, this is a key sign for burglars that\r\nyou are out especially when they can see the curtains closed during the day. Once they break into your home, they can take their time moving around looking for your valuables as no-one can see them.

 2 Tell everyone you meet about your upcoming exciting holiday!

 No please don't.

It is exciting going on holiday and you probably want to tell everyone but be careful who is listening.  You can trust your close friends and family and it is wise to tell your neighbours, however, if you tell everyone in your local shop you don’t know who\r\nmay be listening.

Ensure that if you mention your holiday on social media you either wait until you get back or only post on private groups.  Some people are also tempted to update their answerphone message to say that they are on holiday and when they will return\r\nbut remember it is not just your friends that may phone your number.

 3 Hide your valuables

 We advised you to keep your curtains open so don’t leave any valuables such as expensive jewellery near a window.  This is good advice even when you are not away but especially important if you are on holiday. 

 Distribute your valuables around your house and don’t just hide all your best jewellery in your sock drawer as this is an obvious hiding place for burglars.  Leave some cheap jewellery or some money in an obvious place so that if the worst does happen, hopefully the burglars will grab that and run.

Breaking into houses to get car keys for valuable cars is very common nowadays.  If your car will be left sitting in the drive the whole time you are away it may be worthwhile leaving the keys with a friend or neighbour.

 4 Insurance

By now you will have your travel insurance sorted but have you checked your house insurance?  Are you covered if you are away for more than 14 days? Are there any exclusions eg are you insured if someone else stays in your home whilst you are away?

 5 Tidy your garden

If you are going away during the summer months when grass and weeds grow quickly, it won’t take long for your home to look like the house may be vacant.  Before you go cut the grass, tidy the borders and ensure any tools are locked safely in a shed or garage. 

 6 Cancel deliveries

Cancel any regular deliveries such as milk or newspapers. Don’t be tempted by online shopping the week before you go on holiday unless you are certain your goods will be delivered on time.  The last thing you want is your goods being left in normally safe places around your house like your back door, greenhouse or bin.

 7 Security 

To make your home look occupied, invest in a light on a timer switch that will come on for a few hours in the evening. Light up a room that you normally use in the evening.  Some people are inclined to set the hall light to come on or a table lamp near a window.  These are both quite obvious to a burglar.

If you have an alarm ensure it is in good working order.  If you don’t, we recommend installing a burglar alarm system as this is a great deterrent.  We can visit your home and provide a free quote for a new alarm system and / or CCTV.  We will also point out any other home security risks that we can see.

 8 Kind neighbours

 If you are going to be away for more than a week, it is a good idea to ask a trusted neighbour to pop into your home a few times to remove mail from the front door and to water your plants.  Wilting flowers and piles of post are other giveaways to burglars that you are not at home.

 If your neighbour has a couple of cars and you are taking yours away, you could ask them to park in your drive sometimes. 

 9 Early morning start

 If you are leaving early in the morning to catch a flight or ferry, please don’t be tempted to pack your car with your luggage the night before.  It may make it easier and quicker in the morning but it is a clear sign to anybody walking by that you are going away.

 
10 Final checks

 The last checks you need to do before you head off for a great holiday are:

 -        Are all windows locked?

 -        Are all devices switched off?

 -         Close internal doors so that an intruder can’t see right through your house from one window.

 -         Empty your bins (you don’t want to come back to a smelly house)!

 -          Switch on your alarm and lock all doors.

Have a fantastic, relaxing holiday!

 If you would like any further help and advice on home security, please get in touch with one of our security experts at Safe Simple Secure. 

It’s that time of year when people look back at the year that has just passed. Perhaps you start to reminisce about your family holiday in the sunshine altogether when you enjoyed the warmth of the sun and each other’s company. Or remembering laughing at those inevitable holiday slip-ups that would not be out of place on an episode of You’ve Been Framed! 

Perhaps you enjoyed a major milestone such as getting married, a day that all your friends and family were able to come together to celebrate with you. All the memories of the food and drink, the speeches, the presents, the spectacular dad dancing efforts or the dresses and flowers. All these things mixed together create a day that you can look back on anytime you like as it’s all there if you just close your eyes.

Maybe you started a family and welcomed a new life into the world? Your life will have changed beyond measure but the sleepless nights, the toys are strewn across the floor, the constant use of the washing machine and the changing of nappies are all outweighed by the enjoyment, wonder and laughs you are sharing with your wee bundle of joy. You’ve also maybe got an eye on what the future holds for them, what career will they pursue, will they like the hobbies/sports that you like, will they be football or rugby and of course will they have children of their own one day? 

Maybe you moved home and set up somewhere new because of your job, or a bigger family or for any number of reasons. It’s always exciting to start afresh and to see how things are going to fit in, and that applies to you as well as your furniture, gadgets and bits and pieces!  There will be new neighbours to meet and hopefully become friends with. A new school for your children maybe and new spaces, drawers, nooks and crannies to store all your things. It’s amazing how much stuff, both junk and treasured possessions that you can accumulate over the years. Sometimes moving is a good time to have a clear out of that junk but also reminisce over those trinkets and ornaments that hold special memories or take you back to a moment in time that you had forgotten about.

The 2 common threads in all of the above are firstly the special people in your life that give you support and comfort but also laughs and, well, sometimes it’s just nice knowing that they’re there beside you, and that is enough. And secondly, your personal effects, sometimes small,\r\nsometimes large, that surround you every day. Belongings that are priceless in the best sense of the word, that remind you of those special people and the unforgettable times spent with them. As well as looking back on the year at the things you have done or achieved, maybe also look at your “to-do” list and what you didn’t get around to doing? Maybe look forward to getting those things ticked off the list, like arranging to protect all those people and possessions that mean so much to you.

At Safe Simple Secure in Edinburgh, we can advise you on all aspects of home security so that you can concentrate on other things in life, the important things.   Protect your loved ones and possessions with a cost-effective wireless burglar alarm and home CCTV system.